


The Haunted Innocent

by BeyondMadness



Category: Penguins of Madagascar
Genre: Dr.Blowhole is not as bad as he looks, Humanized, M/M, Mildly Dubious Consent, Personal Challenge, Private is not as innocent, but only in the beginning, crack ship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-28
Updated: 2018-04-28
Packaged: 2019-04-29 02:17:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 27,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14462844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeyondMadness/pseuds/BeyondMadness
Summary: Private is a young man, stranded in a country far from home. As so many others, he falls victims to the night's temptations.Found broken, Skipper's elite team take Private in to nurse him back to health and train him. Years later, he finally finds happiness in his new family but...the past never stays "the past" for long, and enemies can be closer to you than you think.Or: I gave myself a challenge a couple of years ago to take the most unlikely pairing I could think of in PoM and make a story that could make it work. I am rather pleased with how I did, but I haven't uploaded it to here until now. I did make a few adjustments here and there.





	1. An unlikely meeting

**Author's Note:**

> The first chapter is a bit of a difficult start, I've been told. But it is necessary to make the situation clear. I haven't altered too much about it, only some mistakes I have made or words I wanted to add.  
> But I haven't corrected too much because this is a story I started writing at least 6-7 years ago, and I do want to keep the style and grammar roughly the same so I can use it to compare to resent works.

A boy around the age of eighteen in a big city and no family. Not an uncommon sight...no one batted an eye.  
That was his life.  
To anyone walking by he was just a boy, small in posture walking through the streets in the dark parts of the city. His pitch black hair clinging to his pale face.  
He didn't feel the rain. He hadn't felt the rain in a long time. So used to biting cold the clinging soaked clothes that he was able to not feel them at all. He didn't think it was possible for him to catch a cold, or maybe he had had one all along, he didn't know nor did he care. Focusing on the pavement instead of the cruel outside world, his mind wandering off to his homeland; his family. He could not remember how he ended up in New York, but he'd do anything to get back to his own home and his uncle who had been taking care of him ever since he could remember. Did a tear slide down his cheek or was brain delusional? Mistaking rain for tears. He couldn't think straight, hadn't been able to for a long time.  
How long had it been?  
Three weeks; three weeks he had been living on the streets of this rotten town. No one cared. He felt ashamed to be called a human. The people in this dreadful city were heartless and would rather let him die than reach their hand to help him up. Because, God forbid them they got their hands dirty!

What was his name again? What had his uncle called him? Something military because that was just like his uncle. He admired the military, but became a spy instead. Uncle Nigel, could've made it to commanding officer if he'd like. If he remembered the ranks correctly that is. You'd start as a private and the highest rank was......

The small boy stopped, not finishing that thought for he'd had another.  
That was his name: Private. He was small for his age and thin. Poor Private had been mistaken for a girl several times. The black hair that now clung to his face was usually wildish and had been called adorable by people who's faces he didn't care to remember. The length of it covering his ears and eyebrows.  
The boy looked up to the dark grey sky in time to see a flash of lightening. His turquoise eyes shimmered in the light. He'd better take cover before he got hit. Private shuffled into an alley where lights came from the few houses edging on it. Maybe getting hit wouldn't be so bad. It would put him out of his misery. The boy rubbed his temple. Since when had he become suicidal? He always had been gleeful and happy with his life.

"I hate this city with every bone in my body." He muttered bitterly. He forced himself to shuffle further into the creepy alley and stopped at a door that seperated him from a lot of voices. He looked up for a sign, but none was there. A house with a big family perhaps? A bar seemed more plausible. Private pushed at the door, slowly opening it. His observations were correct for he was greeted with the smell of alcohol and people speaking with cheery voices. The boy slid inside and sneaked towards a dark corner where he sat down, hoping to stay unnoticed. But when was luck ever at his side?

He carefully observed the humans in the bar. Glasses filled with beer or stronger liquid were on every table, the floor was sticky from the spilled drinks. Some men were flirting with women, utterly drunk. Some of the customers were passed out. The bar counter supported a few guys, drinking their drinks alone. But there was one figure that caught his eye and kept his attention; in the farthest corner sat a young man with a strange grey shine through his dirty blonde hair which was about an inch above his ears and neatly combed with no curl in sight. He didn't really have bangs but a few strands framed his forehead. Every so often the man would run a hand through his hair, and the strands would fall back into place perfectly. Private stared at the man from his corner. The man was pale and had a large scar over his right eye, which seemed to be sealed shut. He had expression on his face that Private could only describe as disgusted... or maybe defeated. He could not make out the guy's eye color but paid it no further thought. 

He fixed his stare on the floor. His dark grey hoodie dripped water on the floor, forming a small puddle. He had left it open which meant that his black shirt was soaked too. His dark jean clung to his legs uncomfortably and his once white sneakers had turned grey and dirty. He ruffled his hair so it looked a bit like it's normal style and sighed deep, lowering his eyelids. Would the owner get mad if he slept here? That was probably not a good idea.  
Private tensed up when he heard footsteps near him. With his eyes still on the wooden floor, the first thing he saw was a pair of black shoes in front of him. He gulped, assuming the owner of said shoes would throw him out. Ever so slowly, he glanced up. Past the dark blue jeans, the light blue (almost white) button up shirt, into the eyes of the man he had previously been staring at. The man smirked down at him with his hands on his hips. Private looked up at him with wide eyes and his jaw slightly dropped. The man in front of him was very handsome with his steel grey eyes that were cold as ice yet strangely inviting.

"That's no place to fall asleep, is it?" The man mocked. Private's stare hardened and he nodded. The man held out his hand which the younger took hesitantly. He helped him to his feet. Private eyes met the man's chin. Gosh, that man was tall.

"Who are you?" Private asked hoarsely. He hadn't used his voice in a while. The man continued to smirk.

"William, but call me Billy." The man, Billy, said. "What about you?"

"I'm..." For some reason, Private didn't trust him. "I'm Sam." He lied. Billy stared him down as if he could see right through his lie...then finally patted him on the shoulder.

"Sam it is then. How about I buy you a drink so you can warm up?" He said with his ever present smirk. Things could hardly get worse for Private so he nodded and followed Billy to an empty table somewhere in a dark corner. Private sat down, inspecting the wooden table as Billy went to order two beer. When the order was placed in front of the younger, he raised an eyebrow and swirled the liquid around.

"What's this?" He asked quietly. Billy snorted and took a sip of his glass.

"It's beer, Sam. You never had alcohol before? Then perhaps it's not a good choice to-" Billy started but stopped when he saw that Private/Sam took a large gulp from the drink and grimaced for a second. Billy laughed. "Excellent. Let's continue this conversation then."

Private hardly heard what he said last. The alcohol left an unfamiliar, but not unwelcome, burning in his throat. He licked his lips and took another sip.

"So, Sam is short for Samantha I assume?" Billy asked with a grin. Private's head snapped up and he sent a death glare in the other man's direction. Billy held his hands up in defense. "I'm kidding, lad. How old are you? You look very young. Private took another sip.

"I'm eighteen." He answered. "You don't look that old yourself." Maybe it was the alcohol, but he felt oddly comfortable around this man. Billy gulped half his glass down.

"I'm twenty-seven, so yeah I'm not that old." He said jokingly. Private chuckled for the first time since he got into this mess and gulped the rest of his beer down before slamming the glass on the table.

"Is this the strongest they have?" He asked with a smirk of his own, unable to keep himself from glancing at the handsome guy in front of him every so often. Billy raised an eyebrow.

"Eh no... I'll be right back." He said before finishing the rest of his own beer and walking over to the bar. Private watched him and noticed that Billy's way of walking radiated power. The shorter guy caught himself staring and shook his head to stop it. It might have been because of the fact that he hadn't had a decent meal in a few days that he felt the alcohol clouding his mind already. He knew what alcohol was supposed to do.  
It wasn't enough. He wanted, no, he needed more! He wanted to forget everything. Just forget about the mess that was his life right now and enjoy this evening... with Billy. Said man just came back with two smaller glasses in his hand. The liquid had a strange brown color and smelled strongly of something he could only describe as nutty. Private raised an eyebrow.

"It's scotch. You probably won't like the taste but it's very strong." Billy explained while swirling the liquid through the glass. Private took his glass and took a sip. He felt the burning sensation again but this time, it was ten times stronger. The effect on his mind was immediate and he sighed in relief as the world began to look funnier with the minute. He grinned at the man in front of him who, so he'd notice, would stare at him from time to time. Private felt way more confident than usual and Billy couldn't deny either that the alcohol was having a clear effect on himself.

"What?" Private asked raising an eyebrow, the grin never leaving his face. Billy snorted and shook his head.

"You know, for a boy lost in the city, you're kind a cute." He finally said with a wink. Private felt a blush creeping to his face. Or maybe it was the warmth the alcohol brought.

"How'd you know I'm lost?" Private questioned.

"I read it in your eyes. They tell me everything." Billy answered while staring in said eyes. Private's blush turned deeper. Billy snickered and leaned back in his chair with his hands behind his head. "You know, I could take you with me. I have a couch in my apartment. You'd have a place to sleep tonight." He mentioned. Private raised an eyebrow.

"How very generous." He said, his British accent now shining through much more than before. Over the time he had taught himself to hide it, though it still required hard work. Billy leaned forward with a smirk.

"Ah, you're British, how nice. Yes, you could stay with me for the night! However, you will have to earn it." He said mockingly. Private leaned forward as well, imitating the smirk. They were both too drunk to even have a clue what they were doing.

"Oh" He said seductively. "And how will I do that?" Billy's smirk turned into a grin as he took the younger's chin and brought him closer to his face.

"A man has his needs and mine have not been pleased for a long time." His breath ghosted over Private's lips, making the little guy shiver.

"I see, and I assume you want me to help you with that?" Private asked, his eyes closing automatically. Billy brought them a little closer together. Private felt the hot breath against his skin and could no longer resist. The fog in his brain masked his actions as the younger of the two closed the small distance in a hot, alcoholic kiss. Before either understood what was happening, the drinks had been paid for and the two had somehow made it to Billy's apartment. They were making out in the bedroom when they broke away for some proper air.

"I don't think I've felt so happy in a long time." Private breathed with half lidded eyes. His face was coloured red with a blush. Billy stared down at the younger with a wicked grin.

"It's about to get better." He whispered. Private looked up at him with a wide smile, his eyes shimmering in the moonlight that shone through the window. Billy wrapped his arms around the smaller boy's waist and kissed him senseless. They both lowered onto the bed for a forbidden night.

The next day, rather late in the morning, Billy woke up with a painful grunt. He rubbed his head slowly and shielded his eyes against the burning sun. He felt sweaty and dirty and became aware that he was only wearing boxers. Faintly remembering what happened last night, he looked around for another human being, but his night partner was long gone.

Private limped across the street, cursing himself for having such a slip-up. He wasn't that kind of guy! He would never do that. His thing was being cute and maybe even cuddly, but most of all he was innocent. Not this strange alcoholic kid who would dive into a bed with the first man to offer him a drink. He slapped himself in the face as he had been doing all morning and strutted through an allyway, ignoring his pounding headache, his painful legs and the dizziness. Oblivious to the screaming and fighting in front of him, he limped with a clouded mind and tear filled eyes through the allyway until two feet appeared in front of him. He glanced up and was met with a two deep, warm, gentle blue eyes and a polite smile. Black hair in a hairstyle that reminded him of someone last night. The man was not much taller than Private, but his muscles were twice, maybe three times as broad. He wore black shoes and jeans, and a white button up shirt. Private felt the strange and inexplicable sensation that he was safe now.

"You gotta watch where you're going, kid." The man said with a soothing yet commanding voice. He turned his back to the smaller, as if he was shielding him. Private noticed two other guys fighting a man, until said character finally gave up and jumped out of sight. The man in front of Private turned back around and placed his fists on his hips, smiling down at the boy.

"Skipper, Hans' crew left too. We lost them." One of the other two said in a deep voice that somehow radiated intelligence. The other one grunted something that Private couldn't understand.

"Not to worry, Kowalski, we'll get them next time." The leader, Skipper, said over his shoulder to the man, Kowalski. His eyes came to rest on the young man in front of him. "And who may you be, walking into our fight like that." He asked half mockingly.

"I am.... I'm.... Priv-" Private started but the dizziness, at last, became too much and his eyes rolled backwards as everything faded to black.


	2. Healing Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Private has been taken in by the team, this chapter is a short summary of what happened after they did.

Skipper and his crew had been surprised to find out, after they took an unconscious Private to their HQ, that the kid was badly emaciated. After some of Kowalski's research they figured that Private hadn't had a descent meal in two weeks, he had been living on whatever he could find lying about. More surprisingly, he had survived those weeks and appeared to be fine aside from exhaustion and hunger. Upon recieving this information, Skipper made a decision, a man that strong and with such a survival instinct would be perfect for their team.

When Private had woken up, he had been introduced to the team; the leader Skipper, the strategist Kowalski and the weapon expert Rico. They had fed him and allowed him get stronger under their watch. Bit by bit, Private cheered up. He felt happy being amongst people that truly cared for him and when Skipper purposed to train him and make him a military, he said yes without hesitation.

It took Skipper and his crew a year to train Private, in strength and skill, until they deemed him ready to attend missions. Private's innocent and cheerful behavior returned bit by bit. The team loved him, smiled at his ignorance and naivety, and pulled strength out of his hope. The young soldier felt part of a family again. Over the time, Skipper had slowly grew out to a father figure to him, and the leader thought of Private as his adopted son.

After a year of training, fighting crime and living with his new family, Private found himself completely restored. And after yet another succesful mission, they had taken place at the coast of New York, watching the sunset. He had forgotten about the past, and was glad to. Kowalski and Rico stepped up next to him, joining him in admiring the beauty of a setting sun. Skipper stepped up on Private's other side, putting a hand on the kid's back. Private smiled at his leader and turned his attention back to the orange sun, colouring the horizon.Once again, they had saved the day and in the light of a setting sun, surrounded by his father and brothers, Private couldn't be more happy.

That was… until the past decided to haunt him again…


	3. Ball Masque

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While doom is looming just around the corner, the team receives a new mission: protect the visitors of a masquerade ball. Something big is about to happen, bigger than they expect it to be.

The team knew something was about to happen for the news that several of their nemesis had been set free by a mysterious person, had just recently been reviewed. However, for days it had been quiet. The team was trying to pass the time before the big call would come in.   
Kowalski was hovering over some plans, making some adjustments every now and then. Rico lay on the couch, watching some television and Private stared up at the ceiling from his bunk, his IPod plugged into his ears.

Private had met a lot of villains in the past year. There was Hans, who came from Denmark just to torment Skipper. There was Savio, a creepy guy with an accent Private couldn't quite place. Oh right, Rhonda. Private shivered at the thought of the disgusting woman that tormented their friend Marlene. But out of all those villains, Private hated Amarillo Kid the most! That Texas maniac had been after him since the moment they met.

Skipper walked into the room and gestured to the others to gather around the table.

"HQ called. We now know who was behind the escapes of our enemies." Said Skipper, eyeing each of his teammates seriously.

"Who is it?" Kowalski asked as equally serious.

"Dr. Blowhole." Skipper spoke the name as if it was something disgusting. Rico gasped dramatically and Kowalski raised his eyebrows in surprise; apparently it was not the name he had been expecting.

"Eh… who's Dr. Blowhole?" asked Private innocently. The team looked at him as if they didn't want to tell him. Skipper took a deep breath.

"Blowhole is the darkest, most dangerous enemy of all our enemies. He's been a threat to our kind for years and no one has been able to stop him yet. I knew you had to face him one day, I just hoped it wouldn't be so soon."

"He's an evil genius. He invented a mechanical eye patch for himself and seems unable to pronounce our team name. He's pure evil that knows no remorse…" said Kowalski gulping slightly. Private blinked, mentally assuring himself that this villain had probably done worse things than the stuff Kowalski named, but it was curious how the man always seemed to dwell on the stuff that had affected him personally.

"What we're going to do now is look for clue's and-…" Skipper started but was interrupted by a voice filling the HQ.

"Skipper, you have been requested with your team to guard the royal 'Ball Masque'. It takes place tonight at 20.00 pm. Be in time, keep it safe." Said the voice before fading away. Skipper sighed and hit the table in frustration.

"WHY.. do they ALWAYS pick the wrong time for this…" he said more to himself than to his team. "Right, suit up, men. Pick out your masks and get ready for tonight."

The team went into different rooms to gather their supplies. Private walked into a room with his disguises with a slight smile. He has seen one of those parties on television once and ever since, he wanted to attend one. He picked out a white suit with black button-up shirt and a white bow tie. After quickly changing in them, he walked over to a wall with all sorts of mask on them. The young soldier grinned widely, going over each one of them before picking a black Zorro-like mask with golden edges and a few small red feathers at the edge of the right eye, pointing out towards his ears. He put the mask over his eyes, tying it at the back of his head, causing some of his hair to fall over it. Private stepped over to a mirror and inspected his look. Adorable, he decided… and absolutely unrecognizable for those who didn't know him very well.

Happy with his choice, the young man walked out of the room towards his leader. Skipper was waiting at the table in a black suite with a white button-up shirt and red bow tie, on his face is a white mask with a single black feather.

"Nice disguise, Private." Said Skipper with a fond smile. "This won't be a big mission but I want you to be alert nonetheless. Right now it's 17.00 pm, I just got the location through and it's an hour away from here. We'll leave soon." Private nodded at the information and saluted briefly.

"Aye, Skipper." He smiled at his leader. Skipper gave the boy a one-armed hug and they waited for Rico and Kowalski to return.

After a few more minutes, Kowalski and Rico both walked into the main room. Kowalski dressed in a dark grey suite with a white button-up shirt and black bow tie, Rico in black pants and a black long coat with a white button-up shirt but no tie. Kowalski's mask was a dark simple black one with a single white feather, the opposite colors of Skipper's, and Rico's was a black mask shaped like a bat.

"Good we're all here. Let's go to the car." Said Skipper as he walked out the door in front of his team. He took place behind the wheel, with Kowalski next to him. Private fastened his seatbelt and pulled some white gloves on to match his outfit, before putting his IPod on. Rico boringly started to read a magazine that lay on the floor of the car. The car started with a loud noise and they drove off towards their destination of that night.

The ride to the palace where the party was held, was a long and boring ride. They didn't talk much, just did their own thing.

Private knew that the team was anxious for their next meeting with this Dr. Blowhole, because Private was still a kid to them. The young soldier assumed that in the military, someone at the age of nineteen is considered 'still a kid', a newbie, someone without experience. To the outside world, he was considered an adult or a beginning adult for that matter… Private didn't mind that they saw him as a kid. He played the cute and cuddly role very well and if someone other than his teammates would see the way he acted sometimes, they'd assume he was fourteen. To be honest, he had the length of a fourteen year old and was still pretty skinny. To Private all that mattered was that he was happy with the life he led, and boy… was he happy!

Skipper pulled into a parking lot hidden behind some trees just for safety. He mentioned for his team to get out of the car and when they obliged, he walked ahead of them towards the giant doors that would grant them access. Skipper swung the doors open and remained in the opening, smirking at the party people that were gathered in the huge ballroom. Women in fancy dresses and feathery masks, men in suits with mostly black masks.. no one could be recognized. The leader turned to his team.

"Ok men, don't let yourselves get distracted by the beauty you might find here. We are on a mission and we are expected to do as told. Separate.. Kowalski you take the balcony, Rico the left side, I take the right side.. and Private." Skipper turned to the youngest of the team with a smirk. "I want you to keep an eye on the in between, work yourself into the crowd and look for anything that may be suspicious." Private grinned widely at this, he got the most fun part! He faintly heard Kowalski and Rico grown in jealousy as they made their way to the spot they were supposed to look after. Before they had gotten out of the car, Skipper had given each of them an earpiece so they could keep contact.

Skipper carefully made his way through the crowd to the right side and stationed himself by a window.

"Penguin 1 in place." He said into the microphone.

Kowalski was quick to dodge every person and make it to the stairs. He climbed up and leaned his hands on the edge of the balcony that looked over the partying crowd.

"Penguin 2 in position." Kowalski announced in the microphone.

Rico quickly walked to the buffet table to grab something to eat before positioning himself in a window at the right side of the ballroom.

"Penguin 3 place." He grunted in the microphone.

Private's eyes twinkled in the light of the chandeliers. He was absolutely amazed by what he saw. People in fancy clothes and the most beautiful masks everywhere. The smile on his face never left him as he carefully made his way through the crowd to get more to the center.

"Penguin 4 in place too." He chirped in the microphone.

"Ok, stay frosty men, whatever may happen." Skipper encouraged his crew before checking every inch of the place suspiciously. He made sure to look with some extra paranoia for good meassure. It was hard to see if anyone acted suspicious, or if anyone was notoriously familiar, because of the masks. This mission might be harder than he imagined at first.

Kowalski looked down at the dancing people while letting part of his mind wonder off to a scientific problem he ran into today. It wasn't much later that he found he needed to be fully focused to do this job, for it distracted him too much. The people below him seemed innocent enough but that was just because most of the times you couldn't see what was hidden beneath the mask. Kowalski quickly calculated that this would probably be a more difficult task then he'd imagine.

Rico munched on his food, enjoying every piece of it and every so often looking out over the crowd again. He saw no sign of suspicious movements or actions… in his eyes everything was safe. The weapon expert chewed on some more bread.

Private tried to follow the dance-like movement of the crowd so he wouldn't draw too much attention. He checked every person he could check, but found nothing. The warmth that these people seemed to radiate, made his thoughts less focused and filled him with a joyous feeling. Pretty soon, his mind was no longer set on slightly paranoid… his guard was down.

Hidden in the darkest shadows of the room, or even among the dancing crowd, were several figures that did not belong at such a party. Oh sure, their clothing appeared to be normal and they acted normal, dancing with a partner, but hidden underneath those masks were the faces of true villains… and they had noticed the four friends.

Private walked a little more through the crowd until he almost bumped into a tall guy in a dark suit and dark mask. The guy stared at him coldly, causing Private to turn around after muttering a "sorry" and trying to go back, but the space he had left open was filled with a guy who was just a few inches taller than Private. He stared at the young soldier with an equal coldness. Private shivered lightly and decided to take a free path. He was about to contact Skipper to report when the microphone was taken from him by a lady in a black dress and a black mask. Private backed away and decided to try to get to the edge of the room, to one of his teammates. Another guy in a dark suit and dark mask appeared next to him, startling him and making the poor guy back away from him… until he bumped into a person taller than Private himself was. The young soldier gulped and brought his hands up to his chest, something he did automatically when afraid. He turned around slowly only to find both his wrists grabbed into an iron grip. Private stood in front of a quite tall man, taller than even Kowalski, in black pants, black button-up shirt and a fancy long white coat. The young man looked up at his captivator and was met with a cold, dark, steel-coloured eye, one mechanical eye… and the most diabolical grin he'd ever seen…


	4. Freeze!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Private in quite the predicament, how will the team manage to get him out? And what strange things will follow?

Private's eyes grew wide in fear as he stared up at the man in front of him. The taller man still had the same diabolical grin on his face.

"Well, well, well... if it isn't the latest adjustment to Skipper's team." He said. Slowly he leaned over to Private, causing the smaller to bend backwards until his back couldn't bend more. "Are you enjoying the party....Private?" After putting emphasis on his name, the man let out a terrifying evil laugh.

"Let him go, Blowhole!" Skipper appeared out of the crowd looking ready to kill. The crowd quickly took notice of the situation and parted to the sides and thus creating a giant open spot in the middle of the room. Kowalski and Rico soon joined in, each at a different side of Blowhole. The mad scientist, however, had been expecting this and had helped some co-villains to escape prison, in exchange they had become his helpers. The people dressed in dark clothes and with dark masks, gathered around him as a shield. Blowhole let out an evil chuckle as he turned Private around and wrapping one arm strongly around his chest so the boy couldn't escape. Private, upon feeling the pressure, grabbed the arm with both hands, trying to ease the pressure and get away.

"Skipper… what an unexpected surprise to find you here. We were hoping for a quiet evening." Blowhole mocked with the same grin as before. He wrapped his other arm around Private's waist to hold him in place. "And how lovely that you have a new companion." Private struggled under the touch.

"I said let him go you deranged villain!" Skipper snarled angrily at his enemy. Blowhole laughed again, it was almost dolphin-like.

"Don't worry, Private, we'll get you out." Kowalski said trying to reassure his younger teammate. Private looked at the strategist, his eyes filled with fear. It was clear now that this was the 'Dr. Blowhole' they were talking about and if their stories were correct, this person knew no remorse. He was doomed.

"Oh Kowalski, you'll need more than just words to safe the little girl." Blowhole said chuckling. Private glared up at the villain.

"I'm a guy!" He snapped in a high-pitched voice. Blowhole frowned down at him. "Why else would I wear a suit?"

"Eh… right." Blowhole said rolling his eyes. "More importantly… you can't stop me this time."

"What's your plan this time?" Skipper asked while taking a fighting position. His other two teammates followed soon. Blowhole looked at Skipper with a wicked smile.

"Oh Skipper, if you could only imagine the things I could do when I have all these important people here under my control! The world will be mine." The mad doctor explained.

"And you really think you're going to get away with this?" Kowalski asked with a light snort.

"He doesn't think it, he knows it." A man said in a Danish accent.

"Hans?" Skipper shouted. He inspected the others more closely and made out the faces of their enemies; Savio, Rhonda, Amarillo Kid and Hans.

"Yeah, it's us. And if ya try an' stop us, yer buddy won' make it through." The Amarillo Kid said in his Texas accent. To put some strength behind the words, Blowhole tightened his grip on Private, making the boy struggle more and gasp for breath. Skipper's eyes widened a bit at the sight of the poor boy.

"What is it you want from us, Blowhole?" Skipper asked bitterly.

"I want you to leave and not return here so we can go on with the plan." Blowhole spoke with a glare towards Skipper.

"Give us Private back!" Skipper yelled at him. Blowhole raised an eyebrow at him and then looked down at the boy and shrugged.

"I think I might keep him.." Blowhole said before looking up with a wicked grin. "He can be my special slave."

"NEVER!" Skipper finally snapped and ran through two of his enemies and straight to Blowhole who barely dodged an incoming punch. Kowalski and Rico were quick to act and started fighting the other villains so they wouldn't bother Skipper. Blowhole glared at the leader and kicked him to the ground before taking out a robe and binding Private's hands together behind his back and pushing him to the side where he fell to the floor. The crowd was running through the doors screaming and soon, they were left alone.

"Is that all you got, Skipper?" Blowhole spat angrily. Skipper jumped up and threw a punch to the villain's face. Blowhole tried to dodge the hits and throwing several punches himself.

Private sat up with great difficulty and watched the scene that happened in front of his eyes. Skipper and Blowhole weren't holding back on each other. Rico was up against Savio and Hans and tried to win by blowing them away with one of his bombs, but they crawled back up. Kowalski was having some trouble with the Kid and Rhonda but was doing pretty great at keeping them away from Skipper or Private.

Amarillo Kid, however, managed to escape Kowalski and was quickly by Private's side, hoisting him up by the shirt so he could glare the boy directly in the eye.

"Ye've been botherin' me for too long now." He snarled at the young soldier. He put Private to his feet and threw a great punch to his temple, causing Private to fall to the ground again and wincing in pain. His head collided with the hard floor painfully, making the poor guy's vision blur. He faintly saw a figure coming his way and knocking the Kid to the ground. Private carefully sat up and his vision cleared a bit, seeing Kowalski standing next to the Amarillo Kid. The young soldier clenched his eyes shut for a moment to clear the last blurryness, but when he opened them… he saw Blowhole right in front of him, hoisting him up by the shirt. Private looked around for his team, noticing Skipper knocked to the ground but awake, Kowalski trying to escape Rhonda and Rico cornered by Savio and Hans.

"Poor, little Private. Did you get hit? Well we better have a look at that, right?" Blowhole spoke to Private in a mocking voice. With one hand he held Private's arm in an iron grip, while the other reached for the boy's mask, slowly taking it off. Private stared fearfully at the tall man in front of him. He expected anything now, being taken away to his secret lair, even another hit was expected! But what the young guy didn't expect, was to see Blowhole freeze on the spot. The villain stared at him in mixture of surprise, shock and recognition. He hastily let Private go, causing the boy to fall on the ground once more, and turned around.

"Retreat! We're going back!" He shouted at his co-villains. They looked at him in confusion and surprise but followed anyway… and soon they were all gone.

Skipper got up from the ground and painfully rubbed his head, walking over to Private and helping him stand up and untie him. Kowalski and Rico joined in, their looks confused. Private calmed down slowly, and once he was calm enough.. no one said a thing but as if they read each other's mind, they made their way back to the car. Private could still feel the grip on his arm as if a ghost hand was holding him. He looked at his hands, his mind trying to come up with possible reasons why this particular villain would just run away upon seeing HIS face… it didn't make sense to him.

They reached their HQ sooner than any of them expected. They made their way inside. Skipper made Private sit down at the dinner table, while Kowalski made him some tea. The leader sat at the opposite side of the table.

"We weren't expecting them to be there. I hoped you wouldn't have to meet Blowhole like that… are you hurt?" asked Skipper. He was trying to mask his worry, but Private noticed, he had always noticed. The younger smiled at that, and shook his head slowly.

"No, I'm fine. Not to worry Skippa, it was just the shock that paralyzed me. I'm sorry I screwed up." Private looked at the table when he answered that, feeling shame for his behavior. He should've been brave.

"No, Private, you did well. You've been through a lot to come here, and when something like this happens, you are expected to be scared." Kowalski reassured him. He put a cup of tea down in front of him. Private smiled up at him before smelling the tea to further calm his nerves. He looked up at Skipper, who nodded in agreement with Kowalski.

"Thanks, guys." Private said with a smile. He was happy to be among these people, who wouldn't judge him for being scared. He drank his tea with a smile, knowing he wouldn't have to be afraid with them around.

Hidden underground, is a dark place only a few know about. It contains a lab, several weapon chambers and a few sleeping rooms. It was the dark secret lair of none other than the infamous Dr. Blowhole.

Said villain was to be found, at this particular moment, in his lab, with some co-villains around him. The other villains were silently whispering to each other over their failed plan, wondering why Blowhole would just walk away. The evil scientist turned around and started down at the group.

"What happened today, is not considered a failure. I now have gathered new information which we can use to control those cursed peng-u-ins." He announced. A few of the people in front of him, looked up at him as if he were crazy.

"Then what do you consider a failure? Getting killed?" Savio asked, frowning at his boss.

"Nooo…. If I didn't get this valuable information, it would be considered a failure. Now shut up and listen to me." Blowhole spoke to him bitterly. "With the information I gathered, I put together a rather complicated trap that you may not understand the meaning off. In order to get all of them, we're going to get one of them. We'll take away what's dear to them and hold it captive right here." He grinned diabolically.

Hans inspected Blowhole, wondering if he turned mad. He had been closer to Blowhole than the other villains for they'd worked side by side a few times before. When he saw the particular picture that appeared on the screen behind his current boss after he had pressed a button, Hans decided that he was indeed mad.

"Gentlemen, and lady, I present… our target." Blowhole announced, making his trademark laugh echo through the room.

The picture showed none other than the latest addition to the Penguin team.


	5. On the first try

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blowhole's plan is set in motion. Whether it will succeed remains to be seen.  
> Meanwhile, Private has no idea of the target on his back and is going about his daily business.

Skipper was, to say the least, confused as to why their arch-enemy would just run away from a fight. He was, however, more confused as to why he hadn't tried to get revenge yet. The past weeks had gone by quickly, and silently. None of the villains known to them, tried anything. The leader's paranoia levels started to rise as the days passed, and that's the exact reason why he called his men to the training room one evening.

The Skipper inspected each of his men carefully.

"Men, judging by how these last weeks have been, I have decided to train you harder than ever." Upon hearing Skipper's words, the team exchanged a few glances.

"Eh, Skipper, we haven't had a mission in weeks and nothing went wrong, what could've possibly made you decide that?" Kowalski asked him.

"Those exact words, Kowalski. Since our mission at the palace, we've just been here waiting, but if the villains aren't attacking or at least trying something, they must be planning something much bigger. THAT is what we'll train for." The leader explained while pacing through the room. "First training, Combat Creativity, you must be able to fight with anything!"

It wasn't much later that the team stood next to a chest with all sorts of objects in it, but no actual weapons. There was a stuffed bunny, a bamboo stick, sunglasses and a rubber tire.

Private took in the objects, going over them again and again. It'd be predictable if he grabbed the bunny, and he wasn't that sure he could actually win with that thing. He didn't get the sunglasses either, and the only thing useful he could think of to do with the tire, was pulling it over someone so they're stuck. The younger snorted at his thought and quickly grabbed the bamboo stick, earning a few raised eyebrows.

Kowalski grinned and grabbed the sunglasses, inspecting them as if they were the most interesting thing he has ever seen in his life. Rico shrugged and grabbed the rubber tire, feeling the material and carefully trying it out by bending it to each side. Skipper smirked his trademark smirk and grabbed the bunny, throwing it from one hand to the other.

"Right, now pick your partners." Skipper commanded. Kowalski and Rico were quick to team up, like they usually did, so Private was left with Skipper. The two stepped away from each other to reach a common fighting distance. Private held the stick in attack mode, fixing his gaze on Skipper's every move. Skipper seemed to pay no attention at all to his young teammate and instead ripped the bunny open and pulled the filling out until it looked like a random piece of clothing. Private stepped forward slowly, raising the stick bit by bit, and taking a swing at Skipper. The leader, however, was prepared for a surprise attack and was quick to swirl the bunny around and swinging it towards the private's weapon, causing it to wrap around the bamboo stick. In one smooth movement, Skipper pulled the stick down. It landed on the edge of the training mat and Skipper stepped on the end of the stick, making it impossible for the boy to get it back.

Rico had broken the tire, making it some sort of rubber whip and chuckled dangerously at the scientist. Kowalski studied his 'weapon' calmly, turning it in the sunlight that shone through one of the windows. The weapon expert lost his patience and attacked Kowalski, or at least, he tried. The clever scientist had been expecting this and turned the sunglasses in such an angle that the sunlight reflected in Rico's eyes, causing him to see nothing but blackness. Kowalski took advantage of this turn of the tables and attacked Rico until he managed to knock him to the ground.

"That's how you use sunglasses." The strategist stated proudly, looking down at Rico.

Private tried his best to pry the stick free from his leader's foot, but to no use. It was just impossible for the little guy to be stronger than the experienced leader. Then, he got an idea. If you're not as strong, you must be smarter. The young soldier reacted quickly, pushing the stick down with his weight and letting it go in an instant, causing it to swing back and with its natural flexibility...it hit Skipper in the face painfully. The man stumbled back until he fell on the ground, rubbing his face. Private's eyes widened lightly at what he just did and he kneeled beside the fallen leader.

"Oh dear… Skippa, are you ok? I'm so sorry!" He said panicking. Skipper chuckled somewhat at the reaction.

"Nonsense, Private. That was brilliant. A very bright way to tip the tables to your advantage. Very good, Private, very good." Skipper got back to his feet. His face, on the right side of his nose, was a bright red and starting to turn a shade to dark for the young one's liking. Private smiled shyly, not sure if he felt accomplished with this or still embarrassed that he hit his leader like that.

"I-I'll go get some groceries." The young soldier muttered, eager to get away from his worry and guilt. He grabbed a bag and the team's wallet before anyone could protest and started walking down the street to the local grocery store. Private waved with a smile at Marlene, who was sitting in front of her house, enjoying the warm summer sun. He completely ignored the music coming from the building next to their house. The team was rather unhappy when they got the house next to a dance club; Club Madagascar. The extraordinary owner of the place also lived there. Julien, or as Skipper called him: Ringtail, because he was like a hyper-active monkey sometimes. The self-proclaimed king of Madagascar partied almost every night with his 'friends' Mort and Maurice.

Private hummed a melody as he entered the shop, completely oblivious to the two pair of eyes watching him intensely. The young man knew his way through the store, for he had been there many times. Usually it was Private who did the grocery shopping, Rico would tag along every so often but Kowalski and Skipper never went with him.

Once he had found everything he needed, Private paid for them and put them carefully in the bag. He walked across the hot pavement, closing his eyes to shield them against the sun. The warmth felt good on his skin and he wished he didn't have to leave this very welcome feeling.

Fate, however, was against him. The hairs on his neck rose and he felt a shiver going down his spine. Trusting his gut completely, he jumped out of the way and pressed himself against a wall, just in time to see a knock-out dart slam onto the hard pavement. The soldiers eyes widened, and he ran. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, hearing the hasty footsteps of, what he thought, were two people following him. A small round object flew past his head, hitting the ground several meters in front of him and bursting open, letting a thick smoke out. Private took all the air his lungs could hold and ran through it, his mind and heart racing. His heart told him to get to Skipper, because he would protect him, but his head told him that it was too far away and he should get to the first safe place he found, otherwise they might catch him. He decided to listen to his brain and when he noticed Marlene about to go in her house, he couldn't be more happy.

"MARLENE!" He screamed at her, succeeding in getting her attention. She blinked as to why he was running, but before she could ask, Private dragged her inside the house and shut the door, locking it.

"Private? What's going on?" She sounded shocked, not that he could blame her. He just randomly burst into her house and locked the door.

"I think I'm being attacked. No, I'm sure of it! They tried to knock me out and I have no idea why." Private explained, trying to catch his breath. He walked into her living room, straight to the window, and peaked outside suspiciously. Marlene walked in after her friend, still utterly confused.

"But who would attack you?" She asked, rubbing her arm nervously. Private narrowed his eyes at the outside world. He had a feeling who was behind this, the reason for it was a whole different story. He had no clue of that.

"I have to get to the guys as soon as possible!" He said, avoiding the question and grabbed his bag. Just for safety, the team had installed an escape route undergrounds. One opening led to Marlene's basement, for they never knew if she'd be in danger because of their missions. Private quickly walked down the stairs to the basement, and put the bag down in a corner. He didn't have to look back to know that Marlene had followed him. The young man moved the dark red carpet from the opening.

"Marlene, I need you to bring these as soon as things are safe. I'll give you a call when it is." Private said seriously. Marlene blinked at him and nodded. She watched as Private opened the way to the undergrounds escape route. The boy sat down on the edge, smiling at her as to say that everything would be fine. He lowered himself through the hole and prepared for the collision his feet were about to make with the hard ground… but it never came.

Before Private knew what was happening, he was caught in someone's arms, and his hands got tied with a robe. A pain shot through his head as the world faded to black.


	6. The Waiting Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The captors interview the captive

Kowalski held tightly onto the struggling man, making sure there was not even the slightest chance for an escape. His scarred companion had a serious look on his face as he tied their captive's hands together and knocked him out. The scientist sighed.

"I wish we did not have to tie him up but he won't stay calm if we don't. Now let's get this guy to Skipper, he seems pretty worried." He spoke to Rico as he shifted their prisoner so that his companion could grab him and lay him over his shoulder. The explosive expert nodded solemnly.

Skipper was pacing back and forth through their HQ, watching the monitors that showed him different views of the city. Somewhere in the back of his mind he considered the possibility of actually leaving a trench if he continued pacing like this. The leader shook his head clear, focusing on the matter at hand instead. He had just gotten rid of the pain in his face from the hit he took during training, when they were shaken up by their alarm. Turned out that there was an attack going on where several people tried to get to a rather small boy. Skipper's pain returned but this time in his whole head… for he saw that the small boy was his boy, his son.

Skipper glanced at the door every so often, hoping it would swing open, revealing his teammates. But it had been half an hour and no such luck. Right when he was about to sit down, giving up part of his hope, the door flung open and Kowalski and Rico walked in… a man over Rico's shoulder. The leader jumped up and switched to his leader mode.

"Put him in the chair. We're going to interrogate him."

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In Blowhole's lair, said villain watched his monitors intently, breathing calmly. His hands folded behind his back in the dark room. His eyes were used to this kind of surrounding, he didn't care that the light produced by the computers could do damage to his eyes… or eye. He had enough stuff to repair any damage done.

A knock on the door woke the evil doctor from his thoughts. He moved his head to the side, so he could at the door without turning his body away from the monitors.

"Come in." He spoke. The door opened, revealing one of his fellow villains. In fact, it was the Danish villain that Skipper hated so much. The guy walking in was smaller than Blowhole himself was, with neatly combed black hair which almost had a blue tint on it.

"Any news?" The Dane asked, stopping at a safe distance from the mad scientist. Blowhole turned his attention back to the screens.

"No change. Is that all you came here for?" He asked, knowing well enough that there was something else was up. Hans shuffled over the floor, a bit closer, after closing the door.

"Ah, no, I came here for something else." He started before clearing his throat. "Have you gone mad?" This surprised Blowhole a great deal, making him turn around to face the other villain with an eyebrow raised.

"Why this sudden question about my mental health? I feel just fine." He said, confusing ringing through his voice. Hans refused looking at the floor, and instead looked right into Blowhole's eye(s).

"Ever since our failed, yes I said failed, mission at the palace, you've been obsessing with capturing that new team member of Skipper. You spend all the time in this work room, coming up with the most complicated traps to accomplish your goal… we've been talking about it. Me and the others. We don't understand why you are so obsessed, and more importantly, why capture the weakest and most inexperienced one of the team? It does not make sense." The Dane explained to his friend. Yes, Hans and Blowhole were considered themselves each other's friend.

"I figured you would all think that.." Blowhole sighed. "Fact is, I indeed have taken a personal interest in this guy. I believe that we are underestimating him, and that he's quite strong, not to mention smart. Probably not as smart as their scientist, but not stupid either. He's definitely the most down to earth. I want to study his behavior and he may be a great addition to our group after we brainwash him." Hans blinked at this.

"You.. have a brainwasher?" He asked, wondering why he had never seen it then. Blowhole frowned at the monitors.

"Not yet.. the plans are ready, I just need to build it." The mad doctor explained. Hans nodded slowly.

"Have you met that boy before?" he asked after some time. Blowhole tensed up, not tearing his eyes away from the screen so Hans couldn't see they widened.

"No.. why would you assume that?"

"You were shocked to see his face, which hardly happens when one sees a total stranger." Hans said studying Blowhole's reaction. Said villain turned around, a stern look on his face.

"You are wrong. I don't know him, never met him before. That was the first time. Can we drop the subject?" He asked getting annoyed by all the questions. Hans sighed, not convinced by Blowhole and feeling that it is an act.

"Fine then. What's for dinner tonight?" Hans asked, folding his arms. Blowhole snorted, looking back at the screens.

"How should I know? I don't cook around here."

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Skipper and his men had left their captive in a chair, his hands tied so he wouldn't break stuff if he freaked out. Skipper stared at the man in the chair, his thoughts wondering off. The leader was, however, waken up from his trail of thoughts by a hand in front of his face.

"Skipper, are you listening?" Kowalski asked, annoyance leaking through his voice. The leader shook his head clear when he noticed the questioning looks.

"Sorry men, I need to focus. Tell me again, Kowalski, what exactly happened?" He spook, making sure this time he was focused. Kowalski sighed.

"Right… Private was chased by a number of people, the number is yet unknown to us, and he escaped them, using Marlene's house as a safety hole. Clever as the boy is, he slipped through our secret escape/entrance in her basement."

"Any traces on the culprits?"

"None found."

"Marlene?"

"Confused but fine."

"And Private?" Skipper finally asked. Kowalski looked at the man in the chair, his expression changing slightly to worried.

"They got him. They were waiting in our secret escape route, caught him and tied him up."

Skipper looked at the floor, feeling depressed because that deranged villain had his son, feeling worried for the boy's fate and feeling angry for not being able to do anything. He had purposely chosen to stay behind on this mission. They all knew he would be more violent than other times. Kowalski and Rico would be more determined too, because it considered one of their team, their family, but they knew that they had to hold back just a little bit. And that's how they got this man tied to the chair, dressed in cowboy style. His sand brown hair hung next to his face. The unconscious man was no other than the Amarillo Kid.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Private woke up with a splitting headache. Opening his eyes, he groaned softly. As his vision slowly cleared, he carefully checked his surroundings. He was lying on a stone floor, which was slightly warmer under his body now so that would indicate he had been there quite some time. The room he was in was build of the same cold stone as the floor, there was a simple single bed with dark green sheets, a toilet and a sink. For some reason there was a dark red rug on the floor. The young soldier managed to push himself up to a sitting position. He clumsily made his way over to the rug, greedily accepting the comfort of the soft fabric. It felt good on his sore body, sore from the hard ground he had been lying on. He was just about to find a way to get his hands untied, when footsteps echoed through the room, coming from outside. The young man's eyes widened as he held his breath, staring at the door fearfully. At that moment, everything seemed to go in slow-motion; the echo of the footsteps, the beating of his own heart moving similar to the ominous sound.

As the owner of the feet stopped, Private could swear his heart stopped too… even if it was for just one beat. The steel door opened a crack, allowing some dim light into the room. The boy gulped lightly as the door opened further, and further, and a tall figure stepped in.

"Well, look what we have here…"


	7. Behind the Surface

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Private spends some time with the villains in Blowhole's lair and finds that perhaps putting on a mean face was just that...and there is more to villains than he thought.

Private stared in fear at the person interrupting his thoughts by entering his small prison. The one-eyed person leaned against the doorframe with a smug smile, liking the reaction he gets.

"B-Blowhole!" Private squeaked. Blowhole grinned before walking over to him, around him and getting a grip on his arms. The younger's eyes stared at the ground, determined to stand tall against the villain, but scared of the power this man had.

"I am so pleased that you got to join us today. You see, young Private, today is a very..special..day." The mad scientist said with a diabolical grin. "Today we will scheme our master plan to get rid of you pen-goo-ins once and for all. And with you at our table, we are one step closer to accomplishing this." Private's mind ran over the different things Blowhole said, trying to find a connection so it'd make sense. He found none.

"I fail to see how.. exactly." He said honestly. The young soldier felt how Blowhole leaned over his shoulder, near his ear. He could feel the hot breath in his neck, making him shiver.

"Don't worry about that. It will become clear soon enough." The older said while untying Private, but keeping a grip on his arms. "Do you agree to come with me without resistance, or do I have to tie you up again and drag you there?" Private gulped at the last part.

"I-I'll come." He said in a quiet voice.

"Good." Blowhole grinned down at the boy, mentioning him to follow and walking out of the room. The younger followed immediately, not wanting to get on his bad side now. He inspected the dark hallways, faintly making out what he thought were doors. There weren't many of them, just a few. He followed Blowhole to the end of the hallway, careful not to say anything or make any sounds at all. The two walked through a metallic door, into a room with a large table and villains sitting at every side, giving them some pretty weird looks. Private gulped and shrunk back in the door's direction. Blowhole, however, had other plans and grabbed the younger's arm, pulling him roughly into the seat at the head (or bottom) of the table and walking around to sit at the direct opposite of him. Private tried to make himself as small as possible in his seat, but couldn't keep the well-known villains from staring at him in hate and curiosity.

"Fellow evil humans, I'd like you to pay attention to me rather than to our guest." Blowhole started, glaring around the room as the others obeyed. "I need your full attention for this. We have succeeded in part one of our evil plan to take out the despised pen-goo-ins. My dark plan to capture one of them has been accomplished. However, it was less successful when one of you idiots lost sight of Amarillo Kid, which got him captured." The evil doctor hits his fist on the table, making the others jump. "Do you know what can go wrong here? He could spill out all our secrets to those pen-goo-ins."

"So you want to send us on a mission to get him back?" Hans asked him, leaning back in his chair. Private didn't hear much of the rest, he inspected the room, see if there was any chance to escape. What was the harm? He could try to get out of here, maybe he'd make it outside, he'd be safe there. If Blowhole caught him again he wouldn't be in life danger either because Private had made up out of his comments, that he was of value to Blowhole's plan. The young guy didn't notice that he was staring kind of obvious at the doors in the particular room, until he received a kick under the table. He winced and saw Savio looking at him with a smirk. Private glared at him and turned his attention back to whatever Blowhole was saying, that is… if he had been in his seat. The soldier frowned at the open seat, wondering where he went until he felt two hands on his shoulders.

"Was I not crystal clear that I wanted EVERYONE'S full attention? That includes you, Private." Blowhole spoke bitterly to the trembling boy. Private nodded slowly, looking at the table. The boy had to hold back a sigh of relief when he felt Blowhole releasing him and walking back to his own seat.

"So, you are saying that we should not get Kid back, because it would be too dangerous, and that they will get here anyway?" Savio repeated.

"Yes, I do not doubt that Kid will tell them where our lair is, but fear not, fellow-villains, for we are prepared this time. We have a team here filled with all sorts of skills, all from fighting those pen-goo-ins. I believe that by putting this information together, we are able to foresee their strategy and stop them from taking our captive away. Then, after several attempts, they will be desperate to get him back and that's when we send the final blow!" Blowhole explained before laughing diabolically. Private bit his bottom lip, fearing for his team. If only he could tell them not to come! He'd survive, or so he'd hope.

"When exactly do you expect them to be here?" Rhonda asked bored.

"Three to four hours." The mad scientist answered, causing several villains to look at each other in shock, and Private to smile despite his worry for them. "People, prepare yourself. Dismissed." Blowhole finished, waving them away. Not sure what to do, Private remained seated. He followed Blowhole's movement, looking for any signs of an attack. The doctor walked over to a microphone installed in the wall. He pressed a button.

"Red one!" Blowhole called into it before releasing the button. A mere minute later, a red-haired guy walked in the room.

"You shouted, doc?" The man, Red One, asked. Blowhole grinned evilly.

"Yes, prepare the 'guest room'." He said darkly. Red One nodded and left immediately. Private frowned but remained silent. After observing the doctor for some time, the young soldier found that he was more human than he first thought. Maybe he had emotions too? He doubted it, but hey! Everyone deserves a chance right?

"Y-You're not going to hurt me…are you?" Private asked quietly. Blowhole looked at him surprised and sighed.

"No, there's no use in that. You're not valuable when in pain." He answered Private, observing some screens that hung in the room. The screens showed views of outside, probably security camera's. Private inspected the screens and dared to walk closer, stopping in front of one. Surprisingly, his hostage did nothing.

"Hey… I know this place." Private blinked at the screen. "This… is the harbor!"

"It is indeed." Blowhole said surprised. "Been here before?" Private nodded sadly.

"But that was over a year ago… this is where I came in. I was on a ship, woke up when it made berth here and that's how I ended up in New York." He explained. The younger could hit himself! Why did he tell Blowhole all of this when he hasn't even told his team! It made no sense at all. He felt strangely comfortable with telling the villain, while he clearly wasn't supposed to.

"I see. You had any family here you could visit?" Said villain asked, watching the boy's movements.

"No.. I came from England. I was lost in the city for a couple of weeks until the team found me. I don't even know how, but I ended up in an alley where they were fighting." Private said, his shoulders slumping. Blowhole made a weird almost nervous sound. Private turned to him and frowned.

"Nothing! Thought I saw something.." The scientist tried to safe himself. Private inspected Blowhole. He didn't seem so scary now… maybe it was just the outside that was a tad scary? The boy chuckled.

"You're not so scary, are ya?" His accent now more obvious. Blowhole rolled his eyes.

"I am, even my servants fear me."

"I think there's more to you."

"Your opinion will be adjusted soon enough."

"We'll see." Private said with a polite smile. Blowhole sighed.

"Time for you to go back to your prison." He said, walking out the door. Private ran after him, following him a bit more closer than before. Without hesitation, he walked into the small room. He wasn't that scared of Blowhole anymore, but the man could still easily hurt him if he wanted. Blowhole closed the door surprisingly gentle, and locked it.

\------------------------------------

Kowalski was seated behind a rather large desk in his lab, going over the past events. He and Rico were sent out on a Private rescue mission. They had found out that both Savio and the Amarillo Kid had discovered their underground tunnels, and were waiting in one. When Kowalski arrived with his companion, they were too late. They had Private. The only thing they could do, is capture Kid and take him to the HQ. Skipper wasn't happy to find out they were too late, not happy at all. At least they got some information out of the Kid, mainly where they held Private captive. So now, Kowalski had strict orders to come up with a plan as soon as possible. The scientist sighed deeply. So far he hadn't been able to come up with much. Through the ventilation shafts they could get in easily, but what to do when they were in. Kowalski wasn't stupid, far from stupid… he knew Blowhole must have some sort of defense system.

"Kowalski, status report." Skipper's voice sounded through the room, making the scientist jump a little. Kowalski supported his head with his hand.

"Uhh… Skipper, it's just too dangerous. We might be able to get in via the ventilation shafts but I'm pretty sure Blowhole will have some sort of defense system." He answered his leader.

"Sounds like a good plan to me. We leave immediately." Skipper spoke. Kowalski's eyes widened lightly. Was he really serious?

"That's too dangerous. We don't even have a plan!" He protested. Skipper shook his head with a determined smile.

"Kowalski, we have something much better than a plan."

"Which is?"

"A goal."

"Ooh.." Kowalski answered thinking over that. Was a goal enough? It would have to do because he was sure Skipper wouldn't change his mind. He followed the leader to the main room, where they got Rico and left.

It wasn't hard for them to find the lair. In fact, it was like candy from a baby. Blowhole always had something with water, so the harbor was an obvious place to look. The team glanced up at the building, preparing for the battle they were sure was about to come.

\---------------------------------------------

Private sat on his bed, staring at the cold room. He wasn't registering anything. Lost in his own world. He liked to go there, because everything was how he wanted it to be there. No one judged him for liking rainbows and unicorns. However, the clicking sound of the lock on his door opening, woke him up from his thoughts. He waited until someone would open the door, walk up to him and do who-knows-what to him… but no one came. The young man carefully made his way over to the door, opening it just a bit so he could peek out. No one was near his door. The whole hallway was deserted. Did he dare to walk out of his room and look around some? No doubt will those villains go after him and he wasn't so sure he could handle them alone. He took a step back from the door, ready to turn his back to it, when he heard a soft, faint noise coming from the hallway. It being in his character to be curious, he walked out the door, sneaking soundlessly through the dark hall. It made him shiver, the cold iron walls. The only producers of light were some candle like lamps. The dark wooden floor let out no crack, which surprised Private, but he paid it no further thought. Looking around he noticed that there were no decorations at all. The young soldier made his way over to a door that was left open a crack, and peaked inside. What he saw in the room, amazed and silenced him. The wooden floor, warm brown walls and fire place made it all a rather peaceful and serene entity. The room was the complete opposite from the rest of this evil lair, or so Private though, he doubted that he'd seen everything. What surprised him more though, was the black shiny piano in the corner, with Blowhole behind the keys.

Blowhole played the most beautiful piano music, soft and peaceful and breathtaking. The villain had his eyes closed to enjoy it to the max. Private tip-toed into the room, sitting close to the fire burning in the fire place, watching the other as well as trying to figuring out what was behind the surface he was sure the man had put up. What the young man didn't realize, was that his presence was already taken notice of. Blowhole was very observant, always had been, and he had noticed someone entering the room. What he couldn't make out was who this person was, he only saw a small shape. His thoughts raced as his hands automatically played the notes.

'Is it Hans? Could be… who else was small? Hmm… Skipper maybe.' Blowhole's eyes widened at his own thoughts, making sure his breathing stayed calm so the other person wouldn't notice. He looked down and noticed he had almost reached the end of the song, the notes turning softer and longer. The scientist mentally prepared, feeling his adrenaline build up with every note he hit until finally… the last note…


	8. Undefined Connection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blowhole and Private find themselves talking on a personal level and at last Private has a revelation.
> 
> Very fluffy chapter...

Private didn't have time to register it all. Noticed the movement too late. In just a blink of an eye, it had happened. While his brain tried to comprehend everything, he opened his eyes slowly, ignoring the slight sting in the back of his head. His bright blue eyes met one grey eye, and a mechanical one.

Blowhole had gone over his plan in his head as the notes of his piano song quieted down. He had one chance for this to work, one only. Surprise attack. He took a deep breath and as soon as he had hit the last note, he turned around as quick as lightning and jumped for the poor intruder. The scientist didn't see who it was at first… not until he had pinned the guy to the floor. He sat on top of none other than Private.  
Private stared up at Blowhole. At first he was afraid of what the villain might do to him, but now he saw something else in the eye that stared down at him, innocent surprise.

"I-I..eh.. s-sorry for interrupting you!" The younger tried to safe himself. Blowhole   
blinked and released the soldiers arms, standing above him on his knees.

"What are you doing here, and who let you out of your prison?" He asked, trying to keep a stern voice.

"I-I heard music and was curious so I followed it and came here and I saw you playing. I don't know who let me out.. the door just opened but I saw no one." Private answered him honestly, still trembling a little from the shock.

"If you want to do it the right way, you always have to do it yourself." Blowhole muttered to no-one in particular. He shook his head and looked down at the boy beneath him. "Very well, I have decided that I cannot trust you OR anyone in confining you to your room. I am going to guard you."

"G-Guard me?!"

"Yes, you heard right. From now on, you'll be with me 24/7. I cannot have you wandering around here when the other pen-goo-ins are about to walk in." The evil scientist pulled both of them off the ground and kept a grip on Private. "However, I need to be alone for some time so I will just lock you up in here and get you when I'm done."

"Ok.." The soldier answered with a nod. He didn't want to test Blowhole's nerves. That would most likely not end well for him. Private stiffened when he felt an arm from the doctor wrap itself around his waist and pulling him against the other body, his back pressed into Blowhole's side. The mad doctor leaned down with a smug grin to whisper in the boy's ear.

"And you will be a good boy this time, won't you? I can bring out any kind of punishment for you, you know?" His grin widens, allowing his lips to touch the soldiers ear. "After all, I've seen more of you than anyone ever has… isn't that right, Private? Or should I say Sam?"

Private's eyes widened to in impossible length. All those dreaded memories came flooding back to him after he'd pushed them away for so long. His heart rate increased dramatically as his ear began to burn where the other's lips had touched it. The poor boy slid to the floor as soon as he was released and didn't bother to look up when the doctor walked out, closing the door behind him. That guy… that villain… was the one who took his innocence! That… Blowhole… was Billy! 

Private's breathing pace increased. He brought his hands up to his face, feeling it heat up. He was blushing?! What for?! He only had been touched by Blowhole…or Billy… it doesn't matter anyway, point is, he had only been touched and yet there he was blushing a deep red. The young soldier cursed himself lightly. He crawled over close to the fireplace and curled up in front of it, letting the much welcomed warmth fill his trembling body. He stared into the bright flames, trying to make out figures in either the smoke, or the flames to get his mind off of previous events. Private felt his eyes starting to burn slightly from the bright light in combination with the warmth it yielded, but he didn't care. He couldn't care less, actually. All he wanted was to get those memories out of his head once again, abandon them once again to the furthest corner of his mind. Desert it and leave it rotting there. But with Blowhole around, how could he?

Blowhole stormed through the hallways of his lair. Stomping his feet with so much force it actually made the dark wooden floor squeak. He had known that Private was the Sam he met for quite some time now. He knew it when he took off the mask at his failed attempt to capture some important people he didn't bother to learn the names off. It had shocked him at first, to see him again. Blowhole had thought he would never run into the guy from that night again, and yet there he was, right in front of him, fearing him. The mad doctor slammed a fist into the grey wall, which apparently isn't as strong as it seems because the impact made a large hole in the wall. The frustration was eating at him. Why would Private fear him? He hadn't done anything to the boy yet. Not anything to hurt him at least… and that's the other frustrating thing! Why couldn't he just finish the boy off? Hurt him a little like he did with all his captives? What was so darn special about this one?!

Only God knew that they both had the same problem, and the same salvation, yet Fate decided to let them wait and wonder for a while....let them have their spiritual conversation, never knowing off each other that they were still talking together...each on the opposite side of the building.

"Why can't I hurt him like all the others…?"

"…and why do I let him touch me without fighting?"

"And then this feeling…"

"…of comfortableness around him. Like we…"

"Like we've known each other for ages. Yet I'm the 'bad guy'…"

"Yet I'm the good guy, and I just…"

"…can't be seen with him."

"But maybe…"

"But maybe…"

"Could this be…?"

"Is it possible that…?"

"This might be something more?" There was an undefined connection between them, and neither knew it of the other.


	9. When secrets are revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Private's secret is ripped from him and revealed to his teammates, what will he do?  
> And how will the team cope with this twist of events?

It was time for Skipper and his crew, to free their youngest teammate. The poor boy who had been captured by the diabolical Dr. Blowhole. Fearing that the mad scientist might have caused harm to the fragile boy, the team made its way over to the evil lair in a record time. But who could have predicted that the private hadn't been harmed at all? Skipper knew the anger of Blowhole, knew what his wrath meant to intruders, and he was scared. Scared for his son, scared for his team…. scared of Blowhole. Although he would never admit the last part.

Private had been waiting patiently in the room, just like he was told. Not wanting to piss the scientist off, he stayed in the same position he was left in. Private didn't flinch when the door swung open, didn't whimper when he was roughly pulled up and made no effort to get away… when he was dragged into another room. The young guy was dragged into the center of all the madness; Blowhole's control room. A huge room with an echo effect from the high ceiling, wooden floor, hundreds of computers and some other machines that Private had no idea of what it was, and one big screen, showing the surroundings of the lair. The young soldier walked over to the big screen, eyes sparkling at the sight of his teammates sneaking around outside.

"Skippa…." He whispered to himself. A hand clamped down on his shoulder and the youngster didn't have to look to know who it was.

"They have come to safe you. Foolish people…" A maniacal chuckle sounded through the room. Private looked at all the lobsters surrounding them. They were real lobsters. A curious twinkle in his eyes betrayed the question he wanted to ask Blowhole.

"Yes, those are real lobsters. I have spend months on taming them and teaching them how to obey me. They are surprisingly smart animals." The scientist explained with a nod. 

Blowhole had stopped watching the screen, but that was only because he didn't need it. He didn't have to keep an eye on the intruders. In fact… he could easily count of because he knew how fast they were!

"That's.. amazing!" Private said in honest awe that his host was able to do such a thing. The young soldier looked around, wondering where the rest of his team was. What was the hold-up?

"Oh don't worry, they'll be here soon. They probably had some problems with my state of the art security system." Blowhole answered the unspoken question. "In fact! They'll be here in 3…2…1…"

"Private!!" sounded a worried voice through the building. Private turned and looked around Blowhole. What he saw, much to his delight, was his whole team with Skipper in front. A smile spread over the youngling's face.

"Skippa!" He wanted to rush over to his father and hug him and he would have, if it weren't for the hand that kept him safely in place.

"Let him go, Blowhole!! He hasn't done anything wrong!" Skipper yelled at the scientist, his face getting red in anger. Blowhole snickered at the irony. Private had done something wrong… he had left him the next morning to never return again, and Blowhole wasn't pleased with that.

"I wouldn't say that, Skipper. In fact, I've known young Private for a longer time than you have!" He said with a chuckle. "Isn't that right… Sam?" The name rolled from his tongue, followed by a large grin at the probably uncomfortable situation he's put the younger one in.

Silence fell in the lair, in which Skipper stared at Private and Blowhole confused, Private looked away with a deep blush, Blowhole was grinning proudly and Kowalski and Rico were just utterly confused. To add some fuel to the awkwardness, Blowhole wrapped his arm around the boy's waist and pulled him in possessively, causing a glare from Skipper.

"S-Skippa… I-I…… m-my innocence was stolen… o-on the day before I met you." Private started, unable to look Skipper in the eye. He fumbled nervously with his shirt. 

"Where and who…?" Skipper asked sternly, his voice deep and hoarse, laced with piled up anger.

"I-I went to a bar to stay out of the storm… a-and he offered me a drink…"

"Excuse me…. HIM??" Skipper said with a frown. Private nodded embarrassed, his face turning a darker shade of red, tears pricking at the corner of his eyes.

"Y-Y-Yes and… and I got drunk.. and he got drunk.. and he started teasing and I went along with it and before I knew it.. I kissed him and.. w-well.. I woke up in bed.. with him." He managed to get out. Blowhole wasn't grinning anymore besides him. His face showed no emotion at all. He hadn't expected Private to experience such strong… trauma… from it.

"Who is this… he?" Skipper asked almost afraid for the answer, though he felt he knew it already. Private swallowed nervously, and pointed to Blowhole.

The whole team, minus Private, gasped and stared at them in a mixture of slight disgust, confusion, shock and probably anger.

"How dare you take away Private's innocence!! You MONSTER!" Kowalski shouted, causing Private to flinch, and Blowhole to remain emotionless.

"This should've happened by someone who loves him!" Skipper stepped in. At this… the evil scientist looked at them with a hard stare.

"Who says I didn't.." He spoke emotionlessly.

Time froze again, it seemed, with Private staring with wide eyes at Blowhole, and the rest of his team following his example, only with their jaws dropped. Everyone was at loss of words, even Blowhole's henchmen.

Blowhole took this opportunity to press a button, dropping a cage on his three enemies, before finally taking his arm off of Private's waist. The soldier wasted no time and ran over to the cage and held onto the bars.

"Skippa.. Skippa!" He called for his father, who had fallen over by the sudden appearance of the cage. Skipper scrambled to his feet and ran over to where Private stood, taking the small face in his hands and looking at it for any damage, before hugging him gently through the bars.

"I thought I lost you. Don't scare me like that!" He mumbled to his son and patted the soft hair. Private had tears in his eyes from the whole situation; the embarrassment of having to tell his team about that dreaded mistake, finally being reunited with them and Blowhole saying something that was still a shock to them.

"Lobsters.." Blowhole called. Within a few seconds, the cage was lifted into the air and the henchmen of the scientist gathered below the cage, snapping their claws. Private had stumbled backwards when the cage started to move upwards, and he stared in concern at his team.

"No!" He cried out desperately.

"Private.. go to your room." Blowhole said coldly.

"But-.."

"NOW!" Blowhole sounded very pissed and displeased, though when Private turned around and looked at him, he saw something pleading in his eye. With a single nod, the younger shuffled out of the room and to the room assigned for him.

Private had been rocking on the bed for a few minutes, his hands pressed over his ears to draw out the sounds of the battle that was raging on in the room he had previously been in. The darkness of his dimly lit room, and the coldness of the iron walls, felt good for a change. He knew that if he was in that fight as well, his body would be burning with adrenaline and the will to fight for his team's safety. He didn't like that feeling. He wanted his loved ones to be safe, but he wasn't fond of fighting.

The door to his prison opened and a tall figure slipped inside. The young soldier tensed and prepared to attack the intruder.

"Private… it's me." Said intruder whispered. Private blinked confused and leaned forward on the bed.

"Blowhole?"

"Of course!" the voice snapped, but then turned surprisingly soft though hesitant. "How… are you doing?"

"As good as I can possibly be in a moment like this.." the soldier replied sadly and he let out a small sob. A hand patted his shoulder sympathetically.

"For what it's worth, I'm not going to kill them. There's no fun in that."

"...thanks.."

"Uuuhh.. ok spit it out then.. what's the problem?" Blowhole said with a heavy sigh. Private frowned at the floor and started to go over the things in his head. He actually only had one question.

"Did you mean that?"

"You'll have to be more specific, Private."

"What you said… a-about loving me…?" The younger asked carefully and mentally preparing for the bomb he thought was about to explode, but it stayed quiet… for six minutes.

"I said what I said for the purpose I used it for. Confusing? Not to me…" The scientist spoke before standing up, looking down at the frowning Private.

"So…. Is that a yes or a no?" Private asked utterly confused. Blowhole shrugged and started to walk for the door. However, before he got there, he turned around and walked over quickly to Private, grabbing his face and giving him a surprisingly gentle kiss before almost running out of the room.

Private's eyes were wide. He had just been kissed by his enemy.. again! What was going on here? What did he mean with all those confusing words?! What was the soldier supposed to do know?

"Oh… dear…"


	10. Breaking Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The revelation as everyone in an uncomfortable position. Anger and frustration seems to bloom out of control, slowly.

In the darkness of the room he was unsure how much time had passed. It felt like a few minutes but it could have easily been an hour or two with how lost in his mind he was. Not only was he still trying to come to terms with the fact that the enemy his team had feared so much had actually kissed him, but he still had no clue what had happened to said team either.  
His head was a proper mess of swirling emotions and thoughts that crossed over.

After Blowhole had send Private back to his room, he had attempted to bring the penguin squad to one of the cliche, miserable endings he had lying about his lair, fully aware that they would never reach an end like that. Part of their "story" was that those blasted goodguys always escaped.  
That day had been no exception.  
Kowalski and Rico, upon being freed, took on the lobster army while Skipper went to take out his rage on Blowhole. The leader was absolutely boiling inside.

"You freak!! You will pay for what you have caused him!" Skipper yelled while attempting punch after kick at Blowhole. The mad doctor was quite skilled in hand to hand combat and managed to block the majority of the attacks.

"Oh relax, Skipper. We're all adults here." the maniacal grin did just as much as his words did: make Skipper more angry. Add to it that he failed to block the next punch, which had him stumbling back.

"How dare you... he's just a BOY!" The leader seemed to be between more rage and actual tears.... of anger.

Blowhole stood upright, dusting himself off as if he had the time to do so and held up a finger to halt Skipper. "Now, technically he is not..." he could not speak any more than that for another punch collided with his jaw and a kick to the chest knocked the air out of him and swept him off his feet.

"Don't speak another word about him!" Skipper snapped, readying himself to attack once more.

"RED ONE!" Blowhole cried out. He was quite done with the whole situation. It was taking more time than he anticipated. He hated it when things took longer than expected.  
A moment later, the evil doctor's henchman burst through the door, accompanied by the rest of the villain gang that were behind Blowhole's plan. They set out to join the fight.

The penguin team was greatly outnumbered and despite putting up quite the fight, they were recaptured rather easily. Luckiy for them, there were no major injuries, just some cuts and bruises. Despite the lack of physical injuries, it was clear that they were not ok. Skipper was the worst out of the three. The defeat had turned his muscles into led it seemed, and he couldn't find the overall will to break free. Noticing these signs in the leader's behaviour, Kowalski did the sensible thing and took over.  
Around this time, Blowhole had gone to see Private.  
The strategist of the team noticed the absence as soon as he looked up. Nevertheless, he straightened his back and folded his arms behind them, walking to the front of the new cage that they were placed in. Titanium, he observed. That must have cost a fortune.. or nothing at all based on the records of each and every one of these criminals. There was no doubt in his mind, however, that this cage was specially built for them.

"What do you plan to do with us now, if we may be so bold as to ask." Kowalski spoke.

The villains, who had been huddling together to talk, turned around and eyed the tall scientist. Savio raised an eyebrow and stepped towards the cage. A devious grin spread over his face. "Wouldn't you like to know that, misssster sssscientisssst." He sniggered. Savio had a deformaty of the tongue, which caused him to siss whenever he spoke.

Kowalski observed him briefly and realised that it wouldn't do much good talking to these nitwits. He had to speak to the masterbrain behind it all.

As if he had heard his thoughts.... Blowhole walked back into the room.

"Well then! Don't get comfortable, Kowalski. You will not be staying here. Believe it or not, but I will be letting you go shortly. I have no use of you three around here. You will, in fact, only be in my way." His grin was most ominous and dark. The other bad guys, on the other hand, had their mouth hanging open. All this trouble to capture them... and he's letting them go? Kowalski, too, noticed how suspicious this was.

"You'll let us go? Let us walk out the door?"

"Yes."

"While we know the location of your lair?"

"Yes."

"And you expect us to be back at a later date?"

"Correct."

"And we take Private with us."

"Oh no no no noooo. I can't let you do that!" Blowhole grinned widely. "No, little Private will be staying here where I can watch him."

"Then what makes you think that we are leaving?" Kowalski narrowed his eyes, folding his arms over his chest to show his determination. They wouldn't leave without what they came for. Blowhole laughed maniacally.

"For starters, if you don't, I will make you all watch as I have him tortured. There will be nothing you can do." This had Kowalski shocked and a few drops of sweat formed on his brow.

"A-And if we leave then you will not harm him in any way?" He dared to ask.

"Now we understand each other." Blowhole ignored the judgemental eyes of his own "team" and the worried stare of Hans. He paced around the cage, taking great satisfaction in the state he had rendered Skipper to. 

Kowalski was helplessly looking towards his leader. Of course the smart thing was to take their chances and walk away to come back with a smarter plan later on. But this was Skipper... he wouldn't be who he is if he didn't want to try and win anyway without a plan. However, as dark blue eyes began to look up at the strategist, he knew that Skipper wasn't feeling like himself.

"Let's go, men." The leader said on a quiet tone. Rico threw out loud protests but Kowalski held up his hand to him, showing him to not bother.

Blowhole nodded in satisfaction. "Hans, show them out. I trust you know how." While it may be implied that the master mind meant for Hans to throw them out in some brutal way, he actually meant that he trusted Hans to actually show them out and not secretly keep them there anyway. Luckily, Hans understood it was the latter. After sending him one last glance, Blowhole made his way back into the hallway.

Rhonda ran after him.

"Are you out of your mind?!" She screamed at him once certain no one else could hear her. She caught up with Blowhole and grabbed his arm to turn him around. "After all the work we've done, this is the plan?"

"Have you got a problem with the way I do things?" Blowhole replied with a stone cold stare.

"Actually, yes. I know you to be brutal. To not stop at anything until they are destroyed. With you there was always only one encounter needed. Never did you actually let them walk out by themselves!" Rhonda frowned while forming her reply to him. "You've gone soft!"

This time, it pushed Blowhole over the edge. All the built up tension inside of him. All the frustration of not knowing what he is doing or what he is thinking. Before he knew it, he had slammed Rhonda into the closest wall, succesfully knocking the air out of her.

"In case you have forgotten, I was the one to break you free after YOU were stupid enough to get yourself in jail!! Without all this... without ME, you'd still be there you worthless, pathetic dirty, ignorant QUIM! So you'd be wise to show me some respect." He snarled in her face before dropping her to the ground and stomping towards his special room.

Rhonda looked after him, her eyes wide and her heart hammering in her chest in fear. She had not expected him to react that way at all. Afraid of his wrath, she ran away... to where her own bedroom was.

Blowhole was driven beyond frustration. He spent the first twenty minutes alone pacing up and down the room, all muscles in his body tensed and a vein on the side of his head throbbing madly. There was a dull ache in the centre of his forehead. Thoughts and plans raced through his brain at lightening speed, he couldn't even keep up with them himself. His body felt like it was going into some sort of overdrive. He felt sick-ish and warm... too warm. His legs were growing tired of the walking and he sat down at a small desk in the corner of the room, laying his head in the palm of his hand. The mulling never stopped and he was beginning to experience the symptoms of panic.

He had been sitting there, barely moving, for at least another hour but then, all of the sudden, he felt a hand on his shoulder. It was a gentle touch, one that definitely didn't belong to any of his henchmen. Tensing under the touch, he turned around to meet the soothing blue eyes of the youngest member of the team he loathed so much. Those eyes seemed to hold some sort of worry. For him? How could they..

"B-Blowhole?" The boy started nervously. "I... I was wondering if you were ok. You don't look very ok."

Blowhole's expression softened slowly and he turned towards his captive fully. "I cannot afford to show weakness, Private. I am as ok as I need to be, keep it at that."

Private looked puzzled for a moment before walking towards the centre of the room, where he sat down in front of the fire place. Perhaps he figured that Blowhole would join him, or perhaps he didn't want to stand too close. The mad scientist himself was convinced that he had only asked how he was doing out of politeness. It wouldn't be Private if he didn't show that politeness towards even his worst enemy. He couldn't care. Blowhole did indeed join him, sitting down in a large, comfy chair, folding his legs over each other and placing his elbow on the armrest, so he could rest his head in his hand.

"I have to ask though, Private." His eyes narrowed in observation. "You looked so very traumatised when sharing the story of what had happened that first night we met."

Private froze, his eyes fixated on the smoldering remains of the wood in the fireplace. Somewhere deep within him, he wondered if perhaps Blowhole was asking this because it pleased him that he might have traumatised him. But something told him that was not the case at all. So after thinking over the answer for quite some time, he finally replied.

"I always had this dream of finding love. Having a crush, trying to get closer to that person. The nervousness, the awkwardness. And then love... a relationship. I wanted to build up the trust and do... ehm.. well... IT.. when we would both be ready for it. It would be special. Unforgettable and amazing." He smiled dreamily, though as he reached the end of his fantasy, it faded away. "But instead I got a whole different kind of 'unforgettable'. I never ever wanted to have that special moment like THAT. Drunk... with someone I didn't even know. Yes, it was kind of traumatising."

Blowhole remained silent for a moment, his eyes too focused on the point Private was looking at. Somehow, he had never looked at it that way. Never did he realise that this meant that Private could not have that precious first time anymore. While he didn't much care about himself, he seemed to feel... bad for the cheerful, young soldier. Out of anyone on the planet, HE would deserve good fortune, wouldn't he? But why him. What was so special about Private.

"I'm..... sorry." As Blowhole spoke those words it sounded more like a question to himself. Why was he feeling sorry? His eyes met Private's surprised ones and he took a deep breath. "I can make you forget. It will be like it never even happened."

For a moment, Private's eyes lit up. This could be the end to that misery. The haunting of how he lost his innocence would finally stop. What more could he wish for but a fresh start?  
But slowly... the twinkle in his eyes disappeared as he looked up at Blowhole.

"I can't." He said in a quiet voice. "Skipper always says that memories make us who we are. I wouldn't want to be different from who I am now. P-Plus, Kowalski says that messing with the memory system of ones mind can leave damage that no new memory can repare."

"Psskt. Kowalski." Blowhole scoffed and glared at the wall. "The amature. Of course it's possible."

Instead of defending his teammate, Private giggled. For some reason, he didn't see it as an attack on Kowalsi... but as recognition of the other's intellect which Blowhole tried to cleverly hide. Said evil genius frowned down at the boy, but couldn't help the slight smile on his face. This seemed to be just what he needed. A moment alone with Private and everything in his mind and body seemed to quiet down and become peaceful.  
The thought that soon, he would not be able to have this anymore made him feel sadder than he thought.

Private noticed the sadness and scooted closer to Blowhole's legs.

"Why do you look so sad all the time? Don't you have everything you wanted? I'm sure you can get all you desire!" He chirped. Blowhole leaned forward slowly and patted the soft, black locks of Private's head.

"You wouldn't understand."


	11. Love fuels the Spirit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team desperately tries to find the will to fight harder while Blowhole and Private work through their own issues.
> 
> (inspiration drawn from the episode "Cute-astrophe")

The mood in the penguin HQ was grim to say the least. Never before had they been defeated in such a way. It was cruel. The fact that they had to walk out themselves had made it so much more humiliating than it had to be. They were laughed at.  
Rico had no taste for explosions or weapons whatsoever and sat sulking at the table they usually met at. Kowalski was writing down notes in one of his analysis books. Every so often he would look up at Rico to see how he was doing, but each time he did, he felt his own hope crumble. He didn't even dare to look at Skipper.

The leader had barely said a word since they got back, the only thing he had been doing was pacing up and down the room. He seemed so lost in his own mind that the other two felt it was almost dangerous to awaken him from it. It was very clear to all of them that their light in the darkness had been dimmed. The person who had grown to be the heart of their team and the one to put a smile on everyone's face... was gone.

At last, Kowalski had enough and walked up to Skipper and without warning... slapped him in the face. The leader blinked in surprise, shaking his head clear from his thoughts. Before he could reply, however, Kowalski made sure to speak first.

"Get a hold of yourself, Skipper! Yes, this is a dire situation, but it is nothing we haven't faced before! We are the elitest of the elite. If anyone can take care of this, it is us. They've got one of our own and we will get him back but first we NEED our leader back." He spoke determined but his eyes pleaded Skipper to please come back and lead them to victory. Without their leader, they'd be nowhere, that much they knew. Skipper looked down at the floor, shoulders slumped and stayed silent while the seconds ticked away painfully slowly. Right when Kowalski was about to give up and sit down... the leader's head raised up. His shoulders straightened themselves as his lungs filled with air, puffing out his chest. His expression became one of new-found strength.

"You are absolutely right, men. I have been letting you down but don't worry... your leader is back."

Rico sat up straight, the sparkle returning to his eyes. Was the situation finally going to look up for them? A grin spread, making it look like it was splitting his face in two. Skipper walked over to him and patted him on the back. The leader's stern gaze was then directed at the strategist.

"Right. Kowalski, analysis. Give me all you got." He ordered. Finally he seemed to even be sounding like his old self again. Kowalski's eyes brightened and he grabbed his analysis from the table.

"Skipper, as far as I can tell getting captured is inevitable but I think this doesn't neccesarily have to be a problem." He said with a hint of suspence. Skipper gestured for him to continue. "I feel that what we've forgotten and what they seem to have forgotten as well, is that Private has been trained by us. More importantly so, we know his strengths. The best part is that Blowhole is keeping him walking around freely but the only reason Private hasn't tried to help us yet is because you never ordered him to. We've been giving off the vibe that he should stand back but I would suggest letting him fight this fight."

Skipper frowned in thought for a moment. Had they really not thought about letting the boy fight for himself earlier? It seemed not. He tapped his chin. It could be risky but really, what more could they do. Chances were they'd lock Private up with them and then they'd be back to being a team anyway. "What do you suggest?"

"Well, Private has got the best aim out of all of us when it comes to... well... golf. I suggest we let him hit about. If the situation gets too dangerous..." Kowalski gulped thinking about what he was about to say. "...I would suggest deploying the secret weapon."

"Negative. That is out of commission!" Skipper said, making a hand gesture as if he was swiping it off the table. "We cannot ask that of him."

"We may not have a choice, Skipper." Kowalski insisted. "Any scenario I've calculated ends in our defeat. This particular combination of villains is as good as unstoppable."

"There is no such thing as villains being unstoppable!" Skipper slammed a fist on the table. "Men. Get your rest. We move at dawn. By all means necessary, we will get Private back."

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Blowhole and Private had been sitting in the luxury room for quite a while. Blowhole had even restarted the fire. Not many words were spoken, it had been a matter of enjoying each other's company while getting some thoughts straight.  
After about an hour, Private started sneaking glances at the criminal opposite of him. There were questions on his mind, ones he wasn't sure he should be asking or even thinking about.

"Ask."

"What?" Private blinked innocently at Blowhole, who had demanded him to 'ask'. Said man rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Clearly you have a question on your mind, so ASK." He gestured with his hand for Private to get on with it. The latter looked rather nervous all of the sudden and fiddled with a part of his shirt. He still wasn't convinced whether he should actually ask it. At last, his curiosity got the better of him.

"What happened to your eye?" He finally blurted out, heart hammering in his chest.

Blowhole eyed him calmly, his breathing never quickening and no sign of anger on his face.

"Trust me, Private. You do not want to know." He shook his head slowly. Private's eyes narrowed suddenly and he placed his hands on his hips.

"I think I can decide for myself what I want and don't want! Why is everyone always trying to 'protect' me from the truth?!" His voice went even higher while he expressed why he was upset in the first place. Blowhole raised an eyebrow and mused on whether or not he should tell Private. Well... the boy seemed so desperate to know. Who was he to keep it from him?

"You make a valid point, Private. You are, after all, an adult who decides what he hears and doesn't. I will share with you my story, but keep in mind that you should not have heard this from me and I don't agree with it." The mad scientist shrugged. His words confused the young private, but nevertheless he was determined to find out the truth and make known that he decided what he wanted.

"...O-okay." He muttered, though realising he didn't sound very convincing he added a firm nod.

"Very well then." Blowhole sighed and started into the fire. "I was still in the early days of my evil scheming. I had done my fair share of bad deeds already and of course... your dear Skipper was onto it...."

_**Flashback:** _

A young Blowhole lay in between papers with more whirling down around him. His longer hair hung in his face as evidence of the great struggle that was going on.  
The man who had pushed him into his own files was standing over him in an instance.

"Give it up, Blowhole! You may take on one of the characteristics of one of the smartest mammals on this planet, but you still have to prove your own intellect to come anywhere near it!" The man laughed loudly and pushed the villain down with one foot. It was a young Skipper. Already quite skilled and muscles as opposed to Blowhole, who still had to do a lot of training.

"Skipper.. I assure you, I am every bit as smart as them. Even smarter! Now, you may have foiled my plans this time, but worry not.. next time I WILL get you!" There was a certain darkness about Blowhole that would be worrysome to everyone, especially to Skipper.

"Nope, can't let you do that, sea mammal." But before Skipper could do anything, Blowhole managed to cleverly knock him over while getting up himself. He made a run for it, which was the smart thing to do as there was nothing in that room that he could use to defend himself. Behind him he could hear the pursuing footsteps of the intruder of his home. Yes, Skipper had figured out where he lived and had come to rub it in. Well... that meant moving yet again. He threw over several items like chairs and cabinets to get into Skipper's way as he made his way to the kitchen.

"Where are my manners. I haven't even invited you for dinner!" Blowhole yelled at his pursuer before throwing several pieces of cutlery at him. Skipper, in return, grabbed a plate to fend them all off.

"Cutlery? That is your best weapon?" Skipper laughed once more. Blowhole felt his face get hot in humiliation. Ok, time for his ultimate weapon then.

Now... it was Blowhole's turn to laugh. And he did... a very evil laugh.

"What's so funny?" Skipper narrowed his eyes at his foe.

"Oh Skipper. You haven't even found out the best part yet. You see, here I have a button.. and this button activates a bomb. A bomb which has been conveniently placed at your precious training centre. All your friends would be there at this time, would they not?" The fiend grinned darkly.

Skipper's eyes slowly widened while his mind raced over the possibility of this being a serious threat. Blowhole pulled out a big button from one of his drawers. To Skipper... this was threat enough and without wasting any time on trying to reason with the maniac, he grabbed the nearest item, which happened to be a glass, and threw it with all of his strength at Blowhole.

The glass hit its target. It shattered into a couple of big pieces... one of which sunk deep into Blowhole's eye and head. The villain dropped his remote in shock and cried out in pain as blood started pouring and the pain became excruciating.

**_Present time:_ **

Private's eyes were wide in shock and disbelief. His lips were parted but he couldn't utter any words yet. Blowhole didn't bother looking at him, it wouldn't do him much good anyway. He didn't want to see the shock on the boy's face as he told him what his father figure had done.

"B-But.." Private managed to squeak out after a few more minutes. "I-I am sure he showed remorse, right? I-I mean... he.. he did help you, right...?"

Blowhole's regretful look told Private more than enough, but the villain would continue anyway.

"On the contrary.."

**_Flashback:_ **

Blowhole had fallen to the floor, light-headed because of the pain and the amount of blood he was losing. His body had gone into some sort of shock and was trembling terribly. He seemed to hiccup while breathing and had to gasp for as much air as possible. The blood staining his clothes didn't bother him as much.. he just wanted help. He couldn't think clear with this pain in his head.

Skipper had been standing completely frozen, with an open mouth, after he'd witnessed what happened. His brain tried to cope with the horror of it. Once he had gotten a grip of the situation he found himself able to make a choice. Would he help his enemy.. or leave him in his torture, risking that he bleeds out. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find it in himself to feel remorse for the man, especially not after the threat he had made. The only thing he did was grab a towel from one of the cabinets and throwing it in Blowhole's lap.

"Take this as a warning, DOCTOR Blowhole. Do not threaten what I hold dear.. because you'll be more sorry than you will ever be prepared to be."

And with that... he left.

**_Present time:_ **

Private was speechless. Tears were threatening to spill after figuring out what his precious leader had done in his early days. A strange emptiness filled him inside.

"B-But... S-.....Skippa..." he muttered devastated. Blowhole couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. Since when was he capable of that?

"If.... if it's any console, I am sure he is different now? We were both much younger." He tried while rubbing the back of his neck. Private looked up at him with water running down his face.

"W-What... what did you.. do... after h-he left?" He managed to splutter out. Blowhole once more averted his gaze.

"I managed to extract the glass from my head by myself.. pressed the towel to it to stop the bleeding and called 911 after making sure I had a believable story." His voice turned deeper slowly. "My eye was beyond repair.. they had to remove it. The damage was so severe that a glass eye was not even a possibility. In short.. I was unlucky. I had also lost so much blood that I had to get a transfusion and spent a few days in the hospital."

Before he knew what was happening, Blowhole had two arms around his neck and the weight of another person on his body, and he felt his shirt get damp at the shoulder. The villain blinked in confusion.

"I am so sorry!" Private cried out, hugging the man that was holding him captive. The man that seemed to be becoming so very important to him somehow.  
And slowly but surely, Blowhole wrapped his own arms around Private, holding him to his body in this strange but not unwelcome embrace. He had nothing more to say and quite frankly, he couldn't think of anything either.

Their embrace lasted for quite a while, until Private's sobs had quieted down. The younger stepped back slowly and wiped the last traces of water from his face. His turquoise eyes met Blowhole's steel grey one.

"I know I can't change the past but somehow I feel terrible!" Private brought his hands up to his chest, folding them together where his heart was.

Blowhole stood up and rolled his eyes. "I will never understand you. How can you feel terrible about something you had nothing to do with? Your heart is too big for your own good."

Private smiled brightly and chuckled. His happiness was soon replaced by a surprised gasp as he was suddenly pulled along by the arm. Obediently, he followed Blowhole even though he was beginning to feel quite nervous about where they were going, but he didn't dare ask. To his surprise, they seemed to walk further away from the room that had been his prison, until they reached a large door.  
The villain pushed the door open and revealed a relatively normal, though plain looking bedroom. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary and it could have very well been a hotel room.  
Private blinked in confusion.

"You will sleep here. I promised I would watch you 24/7 and I will. But I refuse to sit in that small, dark hole." Blowhole explained after closing the door behind him and placing his hands on his hips, appreciating the brightness of the room.

"R-Really? I can sleep here?" Private asked in disbelief, eyeing the very comfortable and inviting looking double bed. Was he actually getting comfort or was Blowhole going to do something inhumane to him and make him sleep on the floor.  
Said man sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Yes, Private. On the bed. That bed. Right there." He pointed at it in a most exaggerated way. Private shuffled over to the bed, patting the covers before sitting down and testing the mattress. Satisfied with his observations (it didn't seem to be bodytrapped), he took off his shoes, shocks and trousers, neatly folding the latter, and got into bed, wrapping himself warmly in the duvet.

Blowhole, in the meantime, had taken place behind a desk and was reading into a notebook that lay in front of him, making notes and adjustments as he read the pages.  
After a while, he turned around to check on his captive only to find him sound asleep. Silent as he could be, he tiptoed over to the door and locked it before taking the key and placing it on the desk with him. He continued to work in his notebook, soothed by the sound of the other person breathing softly. Soon enough, Blowhole found his eyelids lowering by himself and before he could even get himself to go to bed... he fell asleep at his desk.

All was calm and quiet, as if nothing remotely evil was going on and this was how things were supposed to be. As if nothing could possibly disturb the peace.

Until the next morning...


	12. Deploy Secret Weapon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team goes in for another rescue-op. But will they be able to get their teammate back without calling upon the dreaded secret weapon?
> 
> (Inspired by the episode: Cute-astrophe)

Private had woken up early that morning. So early, in fact, that Blowhole was still sleeping on his desk. The younger had stared at him for a few minutes to make sure he was really still fast asleep. Perhaps it was because he had to be on edge because of the whole situation that he couldn't sleep anymore. He decided that while he had the change, he should take it and tiptoed in the ensuite bathroom to take a shower as quick as Skipper's trainings taught him. He desperately needed the refreshment and the brief moment to drain his head of all worry.  
Private managed to shower, dry himself off, get dressed and take his time to check himself in the mirror and still his captor was sound asleep. He figured the man probably needed it badly, because he couldn't imagine how a super villain could not be alert to any kind of noises around him.

The young soldier walked back into the bedroom and walked closer to the sleeping form at the desk. By the way the man was lying, Private could see the remaining good eye was closed and the expression was completely relaxed. In this light, Private could actually see why he had found the man so charming that dreadful night, even if he hated thinking about it. He couldn't deny that his enemy was a handsome man. Perhaps he only allowed himself to think so because he strongly believed there was more to Blowhole than what the man had shown. In their personal conversations he came across as strong, confident and intimidating, yes, but Private also saw a sincere form of... well... kindness directed at him.  
Then there was the way Blowhole had visibly relaxed as soon as he saw him when Private had found him in his luxury room. Not to mention that kiss they shared! One that did not involve alcohol and was full of things young Private hadn't been quite able to figure out yet.

Blowhole's hair looked messy, it almost had the young soldier chuckle. The so scary, so controlled and organised Dr. Blowhole didn't look so scary at all.

All of the sudden the moment of serenity was roughly disturbed by a loud alarm and red lights flashing. Blowhole jolted awake in shock and looked around frantically while trying to calm himself at the same time. He knocked the chair back as he stood up, quickly running a hand through his hair to fix it as much as he could before he turned to Private with a serious, cranky expression, and grabbed both his arms before leaning in intimidatingly.

"What did you do?!" He barked at the poor, startled boy, who immediately started to try and shrink away.

"I-I-I-I didn't d-do anything! I s-s-swear!" Private trembled. A sigh of relief left his lips as Blowhole seemed to release him. The relief was quickly gone, however, when the villain recaptured one of his arms and began dragging him along. He unlocked the door and dragged Private through the hallway towards the huge control room at the end of it.  
Blowhole burst through the doors to find his lobster army at the computers and his fellow villains standing by some of the screens.

"What on EARTH is happening?" Blowhole demanded loudly. All present in the room quickly understood that the mastermind was in a horrible mood... which basically meant: walking on egg-shells. No one wanted to be the one to set him off. Even Private understood, as he stood quietly next to Blowhole, not protesting against the firm grip on his arm.

"Sir, it's the Penguins. They have breached the perimeter. They are slipping past every security system we've got!" Red-one reported from his position at the main computer. He opened up live security footage of somewhere just outside the lair on the big, main screen. Private felt a his stomach make a leap of joy at seeing the determined faces of his team and family, but was careful to conceal his excitement.

Blowhole dragged the boy closer to the big screen, his teeth gritted in bitter frustration. Unable to control himself for a brief moment, he punched a document cabinet with all his might, succesfully creating a huge dent in it and sending files to the floor for his henchmen to clean up.

"Blast!! I did not expect them here at this time. I am quite done with their anticts." He spoke bitterly to himself, before turning to the other people in the room to snarl at them. "Prepare yourselves, my fellow villains. For this.. will be.. the very.. LAST battle." He laughed in that way that was so very typical for him.

In the back, Hans had his arms crossed over his chest and a dark, sinister smirk in place. He nodded to himself in satisfaction. Yes, this was the Blowhole he knew, and he was more than happy to see his friend return.

Private, on the other hand, was mortified to see Blowhole in this state. Especially with the words he had spoken, he dreaded the moment his precious team would burst into this room.

Skipper peered around the corner before signaling the remaining members of his team to come closer. When the leader was certain that no one was going to come out just yet, he turned to them.

"This is it, men. Remember to stick together. Don't let them seperate us any further. As a team we are stronger." He spoke with a stern tone in his voice. Following that, however, was a slightly kinder one. "Men... in a minute we will burst through those doors and I am going to be perfectly honest with you: I have no idea what awaits us. Regardless of what happens, I need you two to know that it has been an honour serving with you."

Rico and Kowalski exchanged glances of uncertainty, causing a tension to cloak the situation. Most likely because of the danger that was ahead of them. At last, they looked at their leader with a smile.

"Right back at ya, Skipper." Kowalski said for the both of them. "You've been the best leader we could hope for."

Rico jumped in with energetic nodding and complete jibberish. They shook each other the hand (because God forbid they showed some affection in a moment like that), and refocused on their goal.

"Right then. Move out!" Skipper gave the final command as they approached the last door keeping them seperated from the control room they had been so humiliated in the day before. 

Without fear for what may happen, they burst through the door, immediately greeted by the entire crew of criminals as well as Blowhole's personal henchmen all ligned up, ready to take them down. In the very back, on a small, round stage, stood Blowhole himself with a firm grip on Private's arm.

"Pen-goo-ins." Blowhole's voice echoed ominously through the room. "Back already? I never figured defeat would taste good to you!" Laughter of the villain side filled the room and left no room for any other sound.

Private looked increasingly uncomfortable by the differences in the confrontation that happened the other day compared to that day. Rico, relying mostly on body language to express himself, picked up on this right away and threw out strings of incoherent jibberish to his teammates. Kowalski, having learned the language of his friend as much as could, understood what he meant and explained it to Skipper, who smiled at them both.

"Not to worry, men." The leader directed himself towards Blowhole. "Couldn't resist getting back on the horse and having it give you the kick you deserve, Blowhole."

"Justice will come to those who deserve it!" Kowalski joined in.

Now, it was once more only Blowhole's signature laugh that bounced of the walls of the lair. "Oh the ignorance of the vigilant! There is no justice in this world, Kowalski, get used to it. Remember it when you catch your last glimp of this rotten world."

Without wasting anymore time, Blowhole sent his army out to attack the team. Private tried, for the first time, to get free, screaming for his team in worry, but the mad scientist pulled him back with much force.

The penguin team fought and fought, driven by adrenaline and a common goal they fought seperately and assisted each other at the same time. Gadgets given to them by Kowalski kept a great deal of the villains at bay while capturing another bunch of them. They proved they were worthy to be called the elitest of the elite.  
However, what they had anticipated eventually happened: they were captured and put in a cage, much like before.

Only Hans, Rhonda and Savio were still standing alongside Blowhole. They laughed at them, putting joy out of their defeat. Confident with his victory, Blowhole let go of Private's arm and the younger immediately ran to the bars of the cage, where his team awaited him with an embrace.

"Listen Private." Kowalski began whispering in said embrace. "No matter how this may look, we anticipated this. We are making it look like we are saying our goodbyes to you but in truth, we needed to be defeated."

Private glanced up at them from the embrace, his eyes wide in confusion and his heart beating harder as if it already knew what was coming. Skipper smiled warmly at him.

"You see, young soldier, you are our only hope. Kowalski looked at it from every possible perspective, but only you can do it. Your sense of aim can help you do things we can't. And...." The leader bit his lip, looking towards Rico and Kowalski for support.

"And what?" Private asked softly, dreading the answer.

"We need your hypercute more than we've ever needed it before." Kowalski whispered even softer, desperation clear in his face. Private's eyes widened even further and he tried to back away from them, but was kept in place by his leader.

"How could you ask that of me?!" Private shout-whispered. Skipper gave him a firm shake.

"We don't have a choice, Private! What do you think I said when Kowalski opted it? We have exhausted every other possibility. You are our secret weapon." He tried to reason with the private.

"Up to now we have dramatically underestimated your abilities. You have, after all, been trained by us. Blowhole seems to have forgotten this as well. Why do you think he lets you walk around now?" Kowalski joined in. Realisation slowly came to Private as he listened to his teammates, but so did the tears.

"That maniac seems to have developed some sort of soft spot for you, this could be your window! I hate to admit it, but they are unbeatable. Only something so powerful and so unexpected will get us to victory." Skipper tried one last time. Rico nodded along and grunted a "yeah" every once in a while.

Private was extremely conflicted by what to do. He felt sick to the stomach thinking he would have to use his much hated weapon again, but he couldn't lose his family. And he had a feeling he would definitely lose them this time.

After more time to think, he finally nodded in agreement.

Turning around, he was greeted by the sight of the villains eyeing them in suspicion, their muscles flexing as they mentally prepared for battle. Private felt confident with his team behind him and took his stand in front of the cage. Kowalski whipped out a small scanner to meassure the charging of the hypercute.

Blowhole eyed his prisoner suspiciously. "Private, time to say bye and come here." He said in a stern voice. "Playtime is over."

"You are right, Blowhole! Playtime IS over.... for YOU!" Private responded, trying to find his tough-guy words. Behind him, Skipper whispered encouragements to him.

"Come on, Private. Puppy dogs, rainbows, fluffy clouds and unicorns. Dig deep!"

"Eeeh, doc? Something is happening." Red one dryly remarked as he looked puzzled at his screen on which scannings of Private were visible. "These readings are through the roof!"

Blowhole joined at the computer in an instance and his face changed from slightly bemused to utter annoyance. "This cannot be! What are they doing?!"

"You've pulled me away from my family, Blowhole. You hurt them. But that ends now!" Private's eyes were fierce as he stared at the mastermind. Flashes of the purest pink filled his eyes for brief seconds.

"We're at 80% cuteness, Skipper." Kowalski informed his leader. Unfortunately, Blowhole caught those words through a bit of lip reading. The villain stepped forward, stepping a bit closer to Private though still at a safe distance, ignoring the confused faces of his fellow villains.

"Oh Private, if you are going to defeat me anyway." The madman started. "I would just like to know.... do you recall that night at all? Do you recall our lips touching, tasting of alcohol?"

Immediately, the pink faded from Private's eyes and his nose wrinkled slightly in discomfort.

"73%?!" Kowalski cried out in shock. "Skipper, he's countering the cuteness by reminding Private!"

Skipper banged his fists on the bars. "NO!" This plan couldn't fail, it just couldn't. "Private, don't listen to him! Block it out!"

Private focused on the cutest things he could think of to try and block it out, succesfully raising his levels to 78%.

"The feel of my hands on your body, touching you, feeling you. How it made you shiver. How you wanted more." Blowhole said in a sensual voice.

Private whimpered as his levels dropped to 65%

"Lunacorns, Private! For Pete's sake, man! LUNACORNS!" Skipper cried out in desperation.

72%

"Our skins touching, becoming one as I invaded your privacy."

56%

"Kittens... cute kittens!"

59%

"You were sooo dirty! The things you said... the things you did.. ooh if only they knew!"

"Skipper... 37%, we're losing him!" Kowalski's shoulders slumped and Skipper slid to his knees, his head pressed to the bar. Private looked no less defeated.

All of the sudden, Rico banged on the bars. "Ivate!" He grunted. The younger turned to look at him, face red in embarrassement and tears streaming down his face. Rico pulled a symphatetic face at him. "'s okay. No l'ss cu'e."

Somewhere deeply inside Private's eyes, there was a spark of hope, and so Rico nudged Kowalski to continue.  
The scientist looked at Rico and suddenly understood what he was doing.

"Rico's right.." He said more surprised than stating it, before turning to Private. "Private! We all make mistakes. This was out of your hand. Our opinions of you haven't changed! You will always stay the cutest out of all of us."

"My opinion has!" Skipper cried out to Kowalski before getting to his feet again. After enduring a few seconds of stares from his team, he turned to Private. "But this hasn't changed your adorableness, Private. You've still got it, no matter how deeply hidden. We all believe in you." The leader smiled warmly at his youngest team member.

Private dried his tears and smiled softly. "R-Really?" A warm, fuzzy feeling spread from his heart to the rest of his body, and he knew.... he knew exactly what his own secret weapon was. He turned back to Blowhole, more determined than ever. Said villain, took a step back in surprise at this comeback.

"You are disgusting, Blowhole! To try and use that against me. But you know what? It doesn't matter what I did.. or how cute I am or how many cute things I can think of.." The pink flash returned to Private's eyes, brighter than ever. The same light gathered around his hands like some sort of a strong, mystic matter that only he controlled. It slowly engulfed his arms

"Eehh... red-one? ....Anyone?" Blowhole looked around frantically, but all the others mimicked his look of panic and realisation that perhaps they had made a mistake. The pink matter had slowly wrapped itself around Private's entire body.

"Because you know what? All people find cute is born out of a love for something. Love is powerful. More powerful than anything in the whole world. The source of all things cute. And you know what? Nothing is stronger than the love between brothers."

A loud cry and a blinding flash followed by a wave of mind-blowing energy crashed through the lair, taking everything in its path. Papers flew through the room, machines were burning and all remaining villains had been blown to the other side of the room. By the force, the cage had been blown apart but miraculously, the team remained unharmed.

The three looked around in awe, their hearts racing in their chest at what had just happened. Their jaws were dropped and their eyes as wide as plates.

"W-wow..." Was all Skipper could bring out.

"Rico, putter me!" came a voice from the smoke. On automatic pilot from the shock, Rico regurgitated a putter in the direction of the voice.

"T-T-T-This... is b-beyond anything I-I have meassured. I believe it is beyond any possible form of meassurement." Kowalski stammered in disbelief.

A loud bang and flying sparks woke them from their awe and pulled their focus to the direction of where once had been the team of villains. The big screen on the wall had just been smashed by what seemed to be another computer.

As the smoke cleared, they finally became aware of the horror that was envelopping ahead. Everything had been destroyed. The villains were on the floor, covered in dirt, bruises, wounds and blood. Savio seemed completely knocked out, Rhonda was too weak to get up. Only Hans and Blowhole seemed to be okay enough to move and speak, but Hans was rather far from where the mastermind was.

The most horrific of all... was Private. His hands were still cloaked in the now dark pink matter, which seemed to be shaping itself. In his right hand, he held the putter Rico had provided him with, the end of which was cloaked in the same matter as his hands.

"Private....?" Skipper called out to him in worry.

As the younger turned his head to look at his team, they were even more horrified. His expression was angry. His eyes too were cloaked in that damned pink matter as if he was wearing oddly shaped glasses without the nose piece.

"K-Kowalski... analysis?" Skipper tried, unable to avert his eyes from the young Private.

"Skipper.. it seems Private has found an even deeper secret to his secret weapon to make it more powerful than ever before! With... dire consequences."

"Meaning?"

"He's stuck in his Quantum Hypercute."


	13. Override the System

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Private stuck in Quantum Hyper Cute, the villains and penguins all have a joined cause. But how will they deal with Private's destructive intentions.

There was a horrific silence in the partially destroyed lair. Even with the sound of electrical sparks flying from the broken machines there didn't seem to be any contribution of sound whatsoever. The overwhelming shock and perhaps even fear had completely taken over everything that had been going on previously.

Rico, being the one most used to chaos, was probably the only one who could move. While his two team mates were left on the floor with, seemingly, the ability to speak knocked out of them, he was on his two feet, observing the situation.  
Ahead of him, in the mist of dust and smoke, was the surprisingly clear figure of Private. And it was as if Rico had never met him. The young, innocent, joyful Private that lifted everyone's spirit when needed, and asked the most ridiculously naive questions, seemed to have completely disappeared. What was left was frightening.

Rico imagined this was what it must be like in a warzone as he placed his feet between the remains of God-knows-what, moving forward slowly. Time itself had frozen. He wasn't even entirely sure what he was going to do but the voice in the back of his mind told him that he needed to get to Private before anyone would get hurt, be it his remaining team or Private himself. He couldn't care less about Blowhole and his gang.

Although, if he thought about it truthfully, he would probably protect them as well.

As he got closer to the scene in front of him, he made out the figures of the villains. Much like the scattered papers, they were everywhere, knocked out or semi-conscious. Only the mastermind himself and the damned Dane remained conscious.  
Private's attention was clearly directed at Dr. Blowhole.  
Said villain was still sprawled on the floor, chest heaving in a quicker pace than was normal and his face contorted in shock and... a spark of fear.

Rico stopped a few meters away from Private. Close enough for him to react quickly but still at a safe distance for himself. He and the evil doctor made eyecontact and he could've sworn he saw "help" in his eyes. If not even Kowalski knew what was going on, the weapon's expert understood that Blowhole definitely wouldn't know anything. His fear was logical. Truth be told, Rico felt a pang of fear himself.

Private did not seem to move. Rico wasn't even sure he was breathing. The source of the young soldier's power, the dark pink matter, moved and changed shape continuously as if restless.  
The most important question in Rico's mind, however, was how to approach him. Should he call out his name? It had turned the boy's head before. It seemed like the safest option at that particular moment.

"'ivate?" He grunted out. The echo in the lair nearly made him wince. He counted the painful seconds of silence and took notice of the clear response in how the matter shaped itself: it was doing it more rapid.  
Slowly but surely, Private turned around, his face frozen in an expression of pure fury.

"For the pain he cost you. For the humiliation. For what he tried to do. He shall pay." Rico tried to keep a pokerface as these words left Private's mouth. It was the voice that made it the hardest to stay quiet. That voice contained no difference in tones, was much too deep for Private.... and completely lacked remorse.

" 's no' you." Rico tried, shaking his head slowly. Private's teeth gritted and with one relatively simple swing of his putter, knocked a hole in the floor. Rico backed away a few steps, heart pounding in his throat, and he was never more relieved to feel the hand of his taller teammate on his shoulder.

"Rico is right, Private. This isn't you. Listen to me.." Kowalski tried to reason. "..you are stuck in your Quantum Hypercute. As demonstrated by yourself, you can cause a lot of damage. However, this should trigger the sense that this goes against everything that you are and this is not the correct approach."

The response was definitely not what they had hoped for. Within seconds, Private was right in front of them. The extend of his power made the courage of the two disappear almost completely. Private held his putter horizontally, close to his friends' necks. The anger in his face sent shivers down their spine.

"You dare defy my means of justice? You dare say he will not get what is coming to him!! Is my judgement clouded?!" These questions were spat out by Private and as he waited for a response, his chest heaved much in the same pace as Blowhole's did before.  
Kowalski and Rico exchanged glances, unsure of what to say.

"N-No, P-Private. Y-You are r-right. He does deserve i-it. But that doesn't m-mean that YOU should g-give it to him." Kowalski stuttered nervously. Private looked between them and lowered his putter. He took a few steps back and nodded carefully. Alarmingly, though, the powerful matter did not change.  
More alarmingly: a smirk appeared on the youngster's face.

"I should. Do not try to stop me. I do not wish to hurt you." Not the reply they had hoped for.  
Kowalski was about to step in again, but Rico held out a hand in front of him. It wouldn't do any good. If anything, it would jeopardize their safety, and if they were going to do that at all, this wasn't the time.

Without another word, Private turned back to Blowhole who had been getting to his feet. The villain stared straight at him, the mix of anger, frustration and mania from before temporarily forgotten. It had made place for fear, regret and perhaps even a hint of worry.

"Private... I-" Before Blowhole could finish his sentence, Private swung his putter and knocked the villain's legs from under his body, sending him tumbling right back to the floor. Without remorse, the young soldier went in for another hit, this time vertical, meant to do a lot of damage. Luckily for Blowhole, he noticed on time and managed to just about roll away.  
The adrenaline in his body made him forget what pain he had and he jumped back up to his feet, trying to get at least a few more meters between him and Private.

Rico, seeing his chance, called out to Blowhole and regurgitated a big, led pipe. As the doctor caught it, Private's anger rose further and directed itself momentarily at his two friends. With one hand, he ripped a metal plate from the floor and threw it in the air, hitting it with his putter as if it was suddenly a baseball bat. The plate came flying at the two, and knocked them to the ground where they stayed motionless.

Blowhole couldn't believe his eyes. The only sound he could hear was the blood pumping in his ears. His enemies were floored... knocked out.. and he hadn't done it. Come to think of it, he would've never done it this way. This was serious. He gulped at the prospect of what Private would do to him.  
His senses luckily kicked in when Private came charging at him and he managed to block the damned putter with the led pipe he had received.

Like in a classic swordfight, they battled each other. Blowhole was visibly struggling under the force of the Hypercute in combination with his own injuries. The sound of metal clashing together ripped through the silence of the destruction like nails on a chalkboard. It was enough to hurt anyone's ears, though the two involved in the clash did not seem bothered by the sounds.

With the power he had obtained, Private managed to keep his side of the attack forward, never once stepping back. He forced Blowhole all through the messed up room, hoping for him to trip over random pieces of debris. Unfortunately, the villain had been trained in being able to move around quickly without tripping. With one eye, this was but a necessity. It also helped that the bionic eye was designed to scan the room and remember its details.

At last, Private got what he wanted. He had backed the mad doctor up to a desk that was miraculously still standing upright, and by making him dodge a swing of the putter, he achieved that Blowhole fell flat on his back on said desk. The young soldier's smirk grew as he felt the satisfaction of victory approach and raised his putter. Instead of laying the final blow right there, he figured Blowhole would try to roll away and dodge. So he hit the table and broke it in two, forcing Blowhole to slide down until he got stuck between the pieces.

This was it. All he had worked for. All the bad things he had ever done. All the scheming and he had never been able to see anything like this coming. Dr. Blowhole, defeated by such a young soldier who hadn't been a soldier for longer than he had lived into this particular lair. More than that, he never expected to find someone, cold and wet in a bar, who would then turn out to be his killer due to an overload of the boy's system... or something like that.

Private's arm raised the putter up high, prepared to strike this person down. His mind was clouded by the intensity of the hurt that this man had brought to him and his... family. Everything else seemed cancelled out. It did not even strike him as peculiar that his Hypercute brought so many dark emotions.  
He was ready to do it. His muscles tensed as he physically and mentally prepared for this cruel action...

"Stand down, soldier! That's an order!"

That voice. That commanding bark never brought more hope in one room than at that moment. Private was nailed to the ground and Blowhole finally dared to open his eyes again, heart hammering in his chest. At least it meant he was still alive.

Slowly, Private turned towards the voice, his shoulders tensed and jaws tightly shut. What he was faced with made even him flinch. Skipper was absolutely fuming. The leader had resumed his typical way of standing.

"The answer is yes." He spoke harshly.

"...w-what?" Private asked, his accent shining through much more now.

"Your judgement is clouded." Skipper answered as he took a few steps closer to his private. "And why do you think that is, soldier? You are angry, that's acceptable! But it hurts you because it is a matter of the heart, Private. You've always been more sensitive."

"Of course, Skippa. What he did.. it makes my heart ache, to see you like that." Private agreed.

"No! No.. I meant..." Skipper sighed trying to find his words as quickly as possible. "Private, it's about you!"

"It's not!"

"He touched you."

"Well yes but..."

"Took your special moment away."

"I know, but...."

"And it hurts!"

"...y-y.."

"IT RIPS YOU APART!"

"NO!"

"AND YOU HATE HIM FOR IT!"

"NO I DON'T HATE HIM! THAT'S THE POINT!" Finally Private screamed out the truth.. and it surprised even himself. Skipper nodded in satisfaction.

"Private, I am disappointed in you. I thought I had trained you better than this. We would NEVER kill." With this final blow from his leader, Private fell to his knees. The source of his power disappeared as he returned to normal. His eyes regained their colour, though were swimming with tears. Not a second later, they came spilling out followed by heartbreaking sobs.

Blowhole only now found the courage to slowly stand up. His body was shaking and he wasn't confident that his legs would hold him... but it seemed to be ok. While trying to catch his breath, he also tried to wrap his mind around what the hell just happened. After quite some time, he finally noticed Skipper was looking at him, and instead of snapping, he actually patiently awaited the penguin leader to speak.

"T...." Skipper was visibly struggling to say those words. "T-.....take..... take care of him."

Without hesitating, Blowhole gave a sharp nod and waited for Skipper to walk away before he too dropped to his knees right beside Private, and actually wrapped him in a tight hug.

"I..... I apologize, Private." He managed to force out of his throat. "I never stopped to think you'd feel this bad about what happened. I just.... I mean. I-I... I... n-never.... I didn't... rape you. I mean, I remember that night. And I don't regret it. But you never protested and I was too drunk to ask. And... and..."

Private finally shut him up by placing a finger against his lips. Tears continued to stream down his face and his body occasionally shook with sobs, but he was slowly calming down enough to at least talk.

"I.. never thought that you raped me... but the way in which my innocence was taken... was not how I wanted it, ever. It hurt me deep that I had lost it this way, and I blamed you." 

Blowhole wisely kept quiet for now, listening to the young man in front of him.

"I... think why everything hurt me so badly is.. well... you know." Private tried to pry the answer from the mad doctor while a blush started to colour his face. Blowhole smirked.

"I have no idea what you mean." He answered with a fake ignorant expression. Private tried to glare at him.

"Please don't make me say it!"

"Oh, but I insist."

"Nnggghhh!" Private looked away from him, face now almost scarlet. "I-I-I-I f-feel as if we connected..... a-and.... I..... I... l-l-like... you."

Blowhole couldn't help but laugh at the way it finally came out of the young private. He pulled the boy into his chest and squeezed him gently.

"I suggest you do something about that." He smirked as he saw the confused look he got from those big blue eyes. Before he knew what he was doing, he had stolen yet another kiss from the young man. However, instead of the confused reaction, he actually left Private beaming with joy. In turn, it left Blowhole feeling quite good as well and he smiled back at the boy in his arms. At last... back in his arms.

Skipper had walked over to his two teammates to check if they were ok. Apart from a headache, they seemed to be. The leader was kneeling down besides them.

"What... happened?" Kowalski asked while gently rubbing his head.

"Just like you said, Kowalski. He was stuck in Hypercute. It brought out some dark emotions in our sweet Private. He nearly struck Dr. Blowhole six feet under! Fortunately, I snapped out of my sho-.. eh, mindset... and managed to reason with him the only way that would cancel out his emotions! I ordered him to stand down." Skipper spoke quite proudly that he had once again saved the day.

Suddenly they heard a disgusted grunt from Rico. Immediately, they whipped their head around to see what he was so disgusted by, only to find themselves equally disgusted by the sight of their arch-foe in an intimate embrace with their youngest soldier.. their protege.

"Eeeehh..... Kowalski. Please give me any reason why I should not break them apart and show him some moves right now." Skipper asked with his nose shriveled in disgust.

"Well, if I observed correctly, them being together reduces the chance of another Hypercute overload by about 80%." Kowalski answered, pushing himself off of the ground and onto his feet. The others in the room followed his example. Even Hans finally managed to get up and join the group of people.

"I do not know what the hell happened here, but I have never seen anything like it." Hans said, not sure himself whether he was talking about the destruction or the fact that Blowhole seemed.. happy.... with another person.

As the group gathered and looked around the devastated lair, it finally sunk in what a terrifying power had come from such a small person, and how dangerous it actually was. Blowhole had his arm around Private's waist, though this was to support the soldier who wasn't as strong as he would've liked to be. The whole ordeal had weakened him significantly.

"Wow..." They all breathed in union.

"We must prevent this from ever happening again." Kowalski stated the obvious.

"Agreed..." Skipper answered still in awe.

"No one can know about this. They might try to use him. This power can NOT fall into the wrong hands." Blowhole added.

"Right... the wrong hands." Skipper repeated with an accussing glare at the fiend, earning him a glare in return.

"This settles it. I am never using my Hypercute again." Private stated, a hint of exhaustion in his voice.

In the following days, both Kowalski and Blowhole (he had nothing better to do anyway, with his house destroyed) ran tests on Private, putting their minds together to 1. Make sure Private was absolutely alright and that there were no after effects.... and 2. To try and figure out where and how this power was hiding and what it was.  
They couldn't find any possible explanation for what had happened.


	14. Burry the hatchet, keep the battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The arch-enemies are in need of finding a way to cope with the new situation. Can they work out the terms?

Skipper was not pleased.

After the devastating events that had occurred, Private had insisted on everyone coming back to the Penguin HQ. Everyone.... including their arch-enemy. Of course Private had deployed his biggest puppy eyes and how could Skipper ever say no to those. However, the young soldier knew not to use it too often because his leader would always find a way to get back at him.

Skipper was glaring and muttering curses under his breath. Any minor injuries he had, had been taken care of by Private, who had insisted on caring for everyone to try and get rid of some of the guilt, and now he was forced to watch his precious protégé take care of his number one foe, who incidentally was the boy’s crush. His fuming was cooled the smallest bit by the reassuring thought that Blowhole was just as interested in Private, which meant he was too preoccupied with that and did not have the time to rub salt in the leader's wounds.

Meanwhile, Kowalski, whose wounds had also been cared for, had disappeared into his lab and begun to make calculations and theories about what happened at Blowhole’s lair. Every so often he would glance at Private, observing his behaviour and physical condition. He was at a loss. Even with the data of previous investigations to Private’s Quantum Hypercute, he could do nothing but speculate. His head was hurting from more than just the blow he had received to it. The numbers simply did not make sense.  
He was so lost in thought that he hadn’t heard one of the people from the other room coming in and shutting the door to his lab. Only when he heard the heavy metal door fall into its lock, did he turn around. His body visibly tensed at the sight of his arch-enemy and his intellectual equal was standing in front of him with a cold, hard look.

“Let us cut to the case, Kowalski. I do not care for you, nor do you for me. However, we have a shared interest and are, more than likely, asking ourselves the same question. You have more insight than I do, so I propose a truce.” The mad doctor spoke with his arms folded across his chest. He was surprisingly patient when it came to the answer from Kowalski, who after careful consideration finally spoke up.

“Agreed.” He turned back to his blackboard, aware of what was expected of him; an explanation of what he knew. “You will find the data to the Hypercute on my desk. I shall have to trust you with this information if you are to take proper care of him. We discovered the Hypercute when we were looking for a way to successfully get what we need from certain people without too much hassle, without them asking questions because, as you know, we work in secret. I tested his level of adorableness and it proved to hold a power within it that I did not think possible. It was scientifically impossible. He had the power to Hypercute people into unconsciousness. We had weaponized cuteness.”

Blowhole was leaning against Kowalski’s desk, analysing the data and only giving a simple “hmm” to that part of the explanation. Kowalski sighed and knocked the back of his hand against the blackboard, successfully drawing Blowhole’s attention towards it.

“Hence this does not make sense! It is not only impossible; it defies the whole workings of the Hypercute! It should be fuelled with everything adorable, and should channel such cuteness in him that the human brain cannot cope with it. It is simply not logical for it to have a destructive power on this scale! None of the calculations explain how this is possible.”

Blowhole walked over to the blackboard, refusing to show what he was thinking just yet. He analysed it intently, and Kowalski felt himself getting nervous for any mistakes he might have made.

“It does not add up.” Blowhole mumbled. “Taking into consideration his normal adrenaline levels and the possible rush at such a moment, combined with the ehm.... emotions... it still should not allow for this to happen. Unless he has got some other hidden power within him that you have not discovered yet and which has clashed with his Hypercute, I don’t see where this destructive power could’ve come from.”

“That is the strange part. The readings I got were from the Hypercute only. I have scanned him now and he seems perfectly stable with no trace of any power remaining.” Kowalski explained. Both scientists sighed in exasperation. This problem seemed endless.

Not soon after, they were summoned back to the main area and placed at the table. Blowhole had to sit down at one side of the table and Skipper at the other, with his team standing behind him. There would have to be done some negotiating if they were to let Private anywhere near the villain ever again. The youngest ‘penguin’ did not argue with them, he had no reason to. In fact, he had some points of his own that he wanted to get in.

First up was the matter of when Private was allowed to be away, along with the pressing message that Blowhole was not welcome in their HQ unless given a special invitation signed by all four members of the team. In case of an emergency, Private is to return to base immediately with no protest or lingering. To this the youngest chimed in with the rule that if he was in Blowhole’s company, said villain would not execute any of his evil schemes. It earned him a roll of the eyes from the mad scientist, but he did not protest. And so, Private was told he was allowed to see him on weekends, though not on Saturday morning, and on Wednesday afternoons. Those were the set days; any free time they would get in between those days were left to Private’s decision.

Second was another one of Private’s terms: the team was not to ever be harmed. Blowhole protested to this. These were his arch-enemies, if he was to continue to try and execute his evil plans, and they would be there to stop him, there would be a chance of them getting harmed. In return he received the question whether he would harm Private as well then, to which there was a short silence.

“Clearly I cannot underestimate his power. He has a near perfect aim and he has been trained by you. I will do what I can to keep him out of harm’s way, but if he keeps fighting by your side then there is a substantial risk. However, in my defence, what happens on your missions is your responsibility and not mine.” It sounded cold and harsh, but he had somewhat of a point. In their mad dynamics and in the crazy situations they all got themselves in, the risks had to be shared. And so they agreed to this, with the addition that both parties would make certain whatever harm was done would never be life threatening or with the intention to kill.

Lastly, they made an important agreement: in the event that some mad soul would be out to capture Private for his Quantum Hypercute, a truce between the penguin team and Dr. Blowhole would immediately take place and they would combine their forces to keep it from happening. It was given a codename: Scenario Cute-astrophe.

As Blowhole stood up, itching to leave the HQ, he was stopped when Skipper grabbed him by the shirt and gave him the most intense look the mad doctor had ever seen on the leader.

“Dare to hurt Private in any way while he is under your watch, and I will kill you.” He spat out in spite. Blowhole smirked and pulled himself free. As he walked around the door, he paused in front of Private and gave him an affectionate pat on the head.

“I’ll call you.” He said with a wink before continuing his way to the door. Before he would close it behind him again, he could not resist turning around one last time, directing his attention towards the penguin leader.

“Isn’t karma a bitch, Skipper? You mutilate my face to the point where I have to hide myself... and now I’ve got your precious protégé’s innocence.”

His luck was that he was quick in shutting the door, or the heavy object thrown would’ve hit his head. And as Dr. Blowhole walked off down the street victorious, he couldn’t stop laughing at the shouting and bangs coming from the HQ of the elite Penguin team.


End file.
